Ok I am going to lump all of Spain together into one huge post!¬â€

October marks the one year anniversary since I started this blog with my first post! It’s hard to believe where I am at now. In one year I accomplished my dreams of starting a wedding photography business. In one year I was able to accomplish my dream of shooting people. In one year I was able to learn so much, do so much, and go to so many places!

I have to say thank you to those who believed in me and who supported me through your prayers and “donations.” I have been blessed in so many ways and that’s no lie. And most of all here’s a public thank you to God who continues to guide my path and mold me into the person he wants me to be for his Kingdom.

Here’s to another year! Where will the next year take me?

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Seville – Spain, the Place

Spain is an ok place I suppose. I probably won’t be coming back here again as it didn’t intrigue me as much as England or France did. Not to mention, the food in Seville was pretty bad. I am not a fan of those cafes there at all. Their no vegetables policy is quite a bit lame too and not to mention post offices that close at random hours of the day. Maybe I just didn’t explore enough.

But the buildings were decently nice. I mostly go to foreign places to check out their architecture and the history behind the buildings (not food? gasp! yep I don’t care about the food of place). Spain was one of those places I could just shrug off….nothing special in my opinion. I’m sure there will be tons of people to disagree with me, but I’m just more of a London/Paris type of guy.¬â€

But maybe I’ll give Seville a second chance in the future if I ever have any expendable income and if I have friends who want to do it.

I think I have a thing for doorknobs. They are so interesting in foreign countries!

I really don’t think the modern metro running through Seville was very fitting.

I love the small streets though! I guess I liked this part of Seville the most since it reminded me so much of Taiwan with the scooters, smell, and crowed streets.

Inside the Cathedral of Seville! Christopher Columbus’s tomb is here! This is the largest gothic cathedral in the world I think…and it is pretty darn big.

An overview of the town from the cathedral’s Giralda Tower (which used to be Muslim but then converted Christian). Thats the Alamillo Bridge in the distance! That’s the only thing I wished I could have captured more! It’s gorgeous! I should have just gone there myself at night but never thought of it.

So crowded! Swimming pools on roofs!

We heard the bells go off while up there. That was LOUD!

This is the Plaza de España. I love things of grandeur and this was the only thing of the sort in Seville. Beautiful!

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Scott Robert Next Level Workshop: Stuff on my mind

This was my 3rd workshop with Scott Robert Lim. If you haven’t taken even ONE of his workshops before and you are trying to do wedding photography, I suggest doing so because Scott knows his stuff and knows what he is doing. I can’t state it more plainly than that.

This was my best workshop. I learned so much and Scott, I know, gave this workshop his all since it was the last one of the year. I don’t know of many people out there who is so open in helping you succeed in every way: in life, in business!

I wanted to continue to work on my portraits in this workshop. But I was struggling in the middle of the workshop because it seemed like nothing I did resulted in the right portraits I wanted to get. Scott had to pull me aside, look me eye to eye, and drill the process to take a great portrait into me and I couldn’t have been more thankful for that because that’s all I think about now when trying to do a portrait! Now it’s all about practicing until its muscle memory.¬â€

The community that you are in in these workshops is the best. Everyone is here to help each other out and have fun in doing so too! I think the term “Scott Robert Family” really developed and emerged in this Seville workshop and there is no other word to describe the people here than the word FAMILY. This community is unique. I think it is because of who Scott is. He is able to bring people out and bring their characters out too to create this unique community.

I am so blessed to have found this community. I am unable to attend all the workshops but everytime I attend, it has gotten better and better.

Scott had this picture of me that looked like I was some perverted stalker or something (check out his blog post, see the gallery, pic #19) hahahhaha. I liked how Nina had the cloth going and wanted to capture it that’s all.

I’m a big fan of repeating elements and the Plaza de España was great for that. Vanessa here looking sweet. You’ll see her on many Scott Robert workshops as the model.

Seriously this place is beautiful. Johanna (remember her from the SF workshop?) posing for me here! And the sunset just warms up the building like crazy.

And I think I got my best image ever (or at least I think so…feel free to RIP IT UP if you want, I’m all ears)!!!! Wahhhhhhh!!!! I don’t know what I love this image so much. Must be the mystery – what is she thinking about (yes I know I posed her), why is she alone in this beautiful place, maybe its the lighting, maybe its that tool that is just streaming out behind her to the right?

I was pretty excited to shoot the models in their dresses.

Abigail wanted shots of her with an old school camera so a couple of us went out to shoot her. It’s not hard to make her look good…actually you don’t even need to try. Scott was setting up the poses and I was just on the side grabbing pot shots. Pot shots or not, I think they turned out nice.

Steve‘s friend Kate, was there to model for us too! She’s a Design major like me too! This was actually set up by Naki and I forgot to give him credit. I will do that soon.

I think I got one of my best portrait shots too in Spain! Again you can be the judge.

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Flamenco (NOT Flamingo) Dancing, what Seville is all about (minus the bullfighting)

Flamenco Dancing has probably been the most intense type of dances I’ve seen yet. I was on my toes most of the time, yes to shoot over people’s heads but mostly in excitement! There’s so much drama that I don’t understand that goes on but that I can see in the performers’ faces. It’s so fast pace and immersive and the music is gripping too! I just don’t know how to describe it as I don’t know the full context and history behind Flamenco Dancing. This is a must see at Seville!

We went directly to the source at the Museum of Flamenco Dance where they showcase everything Flamenco and where they teaching this type of dance.

This was when pretty much everyone had left for home already as the workshop ended so it was only the 6 of us that were left in Spain.

Steve checking out the video they were putting on.

We went to a night showing.

Amazing amazing guitarist! I love his constant emotion!

The music was just to die for!

I hope my pictures were able to capture some of the emotion, action, and drama.

Her eyes just draw you in. The darkness adds a certain mystery too.

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Homeward Bound and New Beginnings

After coming back from Spain, I had so much to think about in terms of business and really my PASSIONS and who I am and want to be. Not only that but where God wants me to in all of this.

My blog will take on a whole new identity as I try to reformat the way I do things with a renewed vision and goal. The design will reflect that renewed energy and will meld my graphic design skills with more of who I am and my character.¬â€

Plainsight Photography will cease to exist by Winter. What will be the new name? I have no idea. I guess we shall see. I will always remember Plainsight as the springboard to greater things. Without it, I would have never gotten here.¬â€

More on these “new beginnings” in my next post.

The Madrid Airport is now top on my list as the most beautiful airport. Notice that all the lights are off and they are using natural light! AMAZING!

I flew back to London Heathrow and on my bus ride to Terminal 5, I caught for the first time, since it did a San Francisco tour, a glimpse of an a380 in commercial service! My schedule didn’t work out for me to see it when I did my London tour.

This is Singapore Airlines’s 9V-SKA, the world’s first Airbus a380 to enter commercial service! Should I mention that this is the world’s largest commercial jet too? I was so excited. If Scott ever has a workshop where I am able to leave on one of these, I’ll be there in a second (ahem, Scott, do an Australia workshop…I’ll fly down to LAX just so that I can fly out of the USA on this bird!)

Took British Airways 747-400 G-BNLR back to San Francisco. Downgrading from Premium Economy back to economy was actually a bad idea on my part this round because the flight was completely full. Economy was so entirely cramped and unpleasant. I sound so high maintenance hahaha. I was sitting dead in the middle of two guys, one who was coughing the entire trip and another who had body odor. At least I was able to watch 5 movies but was kind of bummed that this flight didn’t have Kung Fu Panda since I wasn’t able to finish it my first flight.