Jeanine and John Paul Zimmerman Wedding Preview

Allen and I had the pleasure of photographing Jeanine and John Paul's wedding today. Needless to say Jeanine was radiant in her magnificent gown with a long flowing vail. He looked so debonair in his tux. They are such a lovely and photogenic couple. I wish them many happy years together. Here are some of the photos of today's wedding at the Mission Inn located in Riverside, CA.

iPhone Review II

Now that I had an opportunity to work with my iPhone for the past 2 months, I have a revised review of the PDA/iPod phone.

1. The AT&T Edge is still slow and virtually no improvement during the past 2 months. I'm really hoping that Apple and AT&T will work harder to resolve this issue. Even though it's not a real problem for me because I have WiFi hotspot at home, my girlfriend's house, at SAG's office and conference rooms, I still find it a nusaince to have to connect via Edge such as when I'm driving and I want to check on LA Sig Alert for traffic condition.


2. The virtual keyboard initially was pretty cool and then I really hate it. However, after using it for the past 2 months, I'm, beginning to be very proficient at using it. My accuracy have tripled since the last post of the review of the iPhone. In fact, when I have the sound turned on, I can hear myself typing as fast as using a regular keyboard because it just clicks at a high rate incessantly. It also started to learn my most common words and words/names that are in my calendar, contacts, and emails and figures out what I'm trying to type. However, some words such as "bit" and "but" will never be fixed. There are other words, but it's not as annoying as when I first got the iPhone. I still wish they would learn a couple of lessons from RIM Blackberry on keyboard shortcuts such as holding the key for 2 seconds for capitalization and pressing the space bar twice for period. It would speed up my typing some more.


3. No To Do or Task List – Can you believe it? However, I discovered Tada List and it's free. It's the web base version of ToDo lists. It's compatible with iPhone's Safari web browser. However, it's web base, and it's slow when I'm not on a WiFi hotspot.


4. I inititially had a rough time synching my iPhone with Entourage, but after hacking at it for 3 days, it finally worked and it's now working flawlessly. I wish it would sync faster like my Palm Treo. Synching currently takes 10 minutes or so depending on the number of items I have.


5. Recently iTunes 7.4.2 update allows mp3 files ringtones converstion but you'll have to pay $0.99 for the song, and another $0.99 for converting it to a ringtone. Kinda sucks that you have to pay double, but at least you can do it. You can even edit, loop, and cut the song to fit your ringtone preference.


6. I still charge the phone nightly. However, I carry a charger in my computer bad whenever I travel just so that I don't have to worry about battery usage. The USB charging off of my Macbook Pro charges very slowly. It would take more than 4 hours to have a decent charge.


7. The headphone that comes with the phone is not so good. Because of the phone jack, it’s so narrow that any third party headphones such as the Bose headphones are not compatible with the iPhone phone jack. Belkin makes an adapter for $9.95 but it sucks because it's so big and long and cumbersome. Wasn't the whole purpose of getting the iPhone is for the sleek, beauty, and coolness factor of having the phone?


8. What sucks is that Apple just lowered the price of iPhone by $200 ($399 for 8GB) and stop production of the 4 GB due to no one is buying it. What's great is that Steve Jobs is rebating $100 for all current 8GB owners.

Midnight Madness Part II

This is a picture of a covetous limited quantity (200 only) Midnight Madness ticket. I only waited a mere 30 minutes for this ticket.

After dinner, Allen and I went to lineup at Midnight Madness room. There were only a handful of people ahead of us. We stand a pretty good chance in getting a good seat. Robert Vanelli, the defacto Midnight Madness Security arrived and entertained the crowd.

Similar to Boston, they spoofed game shows and reality show. We started off with the Dating Game. Corey Barker was the bachelor, and he picked a pair of bachelorettes because they came as a pair and he was intriqued throughout the game.

Next, was Deal or No Deal. A lady went up, and right off the bat she opened the case with the free roundtrip airfare ticket and a pair of Photoshop World ticket to Photoshop World 2008 in Orlando FL. She later passed the opportunity to take the deal for a brand new iPod nano that was just introduced less than 48 hours ago. She ended up winning the 6x8 Wacom tablet.

Next came the Krispy Creme donuts. Everyone was on a sugar high be now. It would have been nice had they offered coffee as well. :-)

Finally, a rendition of American Idol, titled Photoshop World Idol. Nelson won it in Boston with "Ain't No Sunshine". He started the competition with a couple of verse of that song. Many people got up to compete. A couple was really good, and then several were horrible. In the end, a young woman named Laura won the competition. I actually thought she competed in Boston and was the co-winner with Nelson, and got a free pass to Photoshop World Las Vegas. I thought she had an unfair advantage, and also won a free pass already. Anyway, despite that, we had a lot of fun.

Dinner at Terribles Casino Hotel

We spent quite a bit of money to come to Photoshop World Las Vegas, especially dinning for the past few days. We decided to hunt for a good bargain and we went to Terribles Hotel and Casino just off of Paradise Road and Flamingo. Prime Rib dinner for $9.95 Friday special. It's not Ruth Chris, Mortons, or Arroyo Chop House. It was nonetheless dinner. I would rate this 4 out of 5 stars for bargain value.

Treasure Island Show: Siren

Here's a picture of Brian and Allen at the Treasure Island (TI) outdoor show "Siren". It used to be the famous "Pirate" show, but they revamped it to entertain the more mature audiences as these semi-bikni clad beauties swinging through ropes and dances toe hip-gyrating music. Of course, we picked the wrong side and got a good view of people's heads rather than the sirens. We did, however, got a real good look at the guys who played the pirates on the opposite side. I would rate this 2 out of 5 stars for entertaining value. That's only because it's also free but you'll have to get there early to catch the show.

P.S. the Wisconsin College team and alumni were here to open the show as they will battle against UNLV tomorrow.

Mastermind behind NAPP

NAPP, National Association of Photoshop Professionals is founded by Scott Kelby. He's the genius who created this great community of Photoshop users. It's now 70,000 member strong worldwide.

He's also the chief editor for a monthly publication, Photoshop User magazine. This magazine is filled with step by step Photoshop tips and tutorials. For the price of annual NAPP memberhip you get the magazine for free plus access to all tutorials in the membership section of the Photoshop User website.

Famed Photojournalist: Joe McNally

I attended Joe McNally's location lighting class this morning. It was amazing to view his images and his stories behind these images. He's one of my inspiration to become a photojournalist when I was younger. I've been a long time admirer and I have applied his philosophy of lighting to my Wedding Photojournalism.

I particularly admire Joe's "Faces of Ground Zero" work of full size polaroids of friends and family of 9/11 victims. It toured around the country several years back. I saw it at the Skirball Center. I remember walking out of the exhibit with just one thought in mind... WOW! Go to his website and check out his compelling images.

Midnight Madness

We got up at the crack of dawn this morning (well 7am) to wait in line for Midnight Madness tickets tonight. We thought we would be near the front of the line but to our surprise there were at least 145 people ahead of us. (Do you see the big long line behind me?) The first guy got here @ 5am! Yikes! He must really wants to go to Midnight Madness! He's not going to sleep until well after midnight tonight.

The event really starts @10pm and lasts until midnight. Years ago it used to start @ midnight and ends @ 2am. It was just too hard on the instructors (and students) to wake up next morning for the early session. I always have a ton of fun @ Midnight Madness. Their motto is to learn absolutely nothing about Photoshop. I can't really go into too much details it would spoil the fun for you. (What happens in Midnight Madness stays in Midnight Madness) if you want to experience this unique event, you'll just have to come to Photoshop World and wait in line patiently at the "crack of dawn" like we did.

P.S. I'll post more details about Midnight Madness tomorrow. I just don't want to spoil the fun for some of you just in case you're reading this entry.

Photoshop World Party

Allen and I went to the Photoshop World Party @ the ESPN Zone tonight. Big Electric Cat played a live set tonight featuring Scott Kelby on keyboard, Felix Nelson on bass, and Scott's wife as the lead vocal. They were rockin' the house. Here's a picture of Allen in action at miniature blowling. Naturally, I beat him both times. :-)

Live Taping of Photoshop User TV

I'm sitting and waiting patiently for the live taping of next week's episode of Photoshop User TV podcast in the NAPP theatre. If you haven't tune into Photoshop User TV, you should try it this week. It's filled with Photoshop tutorials and tips. Best of all, it's free! You can download it from Photoshop User TV or if you use iTunes, you can download it through the podcast section. Have fun watching and learning Photoshop. Scott Kelby and his co-hosts Dave Cross and Matt "rockin' the houski" Kloskowski are so funny. They make learning Photoshop easy.

Photoshop for the iPhone

Announced today by Adobe Sr. VP Johnny L. It's a funny spoof on the iPhone video at the Apple Computer website. This video was debut at the opening ceremony of Photoshop World '07 in Las Vegas today.

Oyster Bar @ Palace Station Hotel

Allen flew in tonight for Photoshop World and I just picked him up and we drove directly to our favorite restaurant in Las Vegas... The Oyster Bar.

Since I have nothing better to do right now, I'm blogging. We've been waiting for more than 45 minutes and it's worth the wait. Everyone waits at the Oyster Bar. The food is awesome. Their famous panroast is to die for. They cook right in front of you while you sit at the counter. You'll be salavating by the time you sit down because you've been waiting for the past hour and smelling the aroma. It's torturous but we love it! Oh by the way, did I tell you the price is very reasonable. It's definitely a must if you ever in Las Vegas.

Afternoon at the Beach

I spent the afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Beach. It was my first experience in the famous wave pool. At first I was a little nervous about the wave pool especially, I'm not a good swimmer. So, I hung around the edge just soaking water around my knee level. Boy, that was a mistake. I got hit so hard by an end of a wave, it knocked me down and I almost passed out. It's like getting whipped by a gigantic wet towel. I was later suggested to move near the "blue" line by a life-guard. And sure enough, the wave is much more gentle there (middle of the wet towel) and it pushed me back 15 ft to shore. I rode this wave for about an hour with my water proof iPod housing and ear phones. I can't wait to do this again next year.

On a side note... the Mandalay Bay Hotel recently revamped their facilities which includes their famous man-made beach. They now have a beach side restaurant and on the top floor of the new structure by the beach, a mini-casino. Who in the world would be tempted to gamble during a fun time at the beach? I walked in, it had a black-jack table, roulette, craps, and it was empty. The dealers were just standing around watching the game on the flat screen tv.

Holiday Pictures and Holiday Greeting Cards

Now that Summer is almost over, it's time to prepare for the Winter Holidays! You might say that you still have plenty of time but it's really just around the corner. To have holiday greeting cards available to you by Thanksgiving weekend, we are currently scheduling family photo sessions starting September 15, 2007.

Please take advantage of our holiday photo session promotion and discounts. You'll save a bundle of $$ and at the same time capturing a special family portrait and preserving it forever. Kids grow up so fast. In a blink they're grown and off on their own to college, pursuing a career, starting their own family. Special moments like these only happen once in a life time. Wouldn't it be great to preserve these moments forever by having top quality photos framed and placed on your mantle, bookshelf, desk, etc.

Give us a call today! Our limited promotional photo packages are filling up very quickly.

Epson Stylus 3800 Printer! Yeah Baby!

Since, I forgot to enter in the PhotoshopUserTV weekly contest a couple of weeks ago, which Scott Kelby and his crew offered as a Photoshop Trivia contest prize... I had to purchase one myself. (Bummer! And for once, I knew the answer to the contest question.) I'll need it for my annual onsite photo printing event at Truckin' For Kids next month. (Stay tuned, I will write more about this event next week)

Our much anticipated Epson Stylus 3800 printer arrived today. I heard and read many great reviews for this printer since last December. At around $1200.00 (Street Price) it has all the goodies in the "big brother" Epson 4800 printer, (which we purchased a couple of years ago) wrapped up in a smaller package.

We considered purchasing the RIP software along with this printer from LexJet since we had such a great experience with our Epson 4800 printer. However, we wanted to test the capability of the 3800 printer by itself. Surprisingly, I was able to print a couple of 8x12 images with no user intervention (color correction and management). In fact, I didn't even bother to download the icc profile of the LexJet eSatin paper. The print came out of the printer @ 2880 dpi in less than 6 minutes, and I have to say the quality is awesome. There were details in the dark shadow area. The Epson UltraChrome K3 inks really "kicked-butt". I can't wait to do a couple of prints in Black & White, and Infrared Black & White. Stay tune, and I'll write more about this printer in the weeks to come.

Krista & Karl Wendt Wedding Album

Beth & Jesse Chapman Wedding Album

Photoshop World 2007 - Las Vegas

I’m getting a little anxious right around this time of the year because it’s only 2 weeks away from Photoshop World in Las Vegas. I always have a great time at Photoshop World ever since March 2004 in San Francisco. I learned so much every time I leave Photoshop World and it had helped me tremendously with my photography business. I learned to streamline my workflow, faster post production and raw file conversion, and image enhancement.

Scott Kelby and his crew of knowledgeable instructors always put on a great event. Go to their website to get more details. Stay tuned and I will write more details regarding this event.

Presidential Candidate, Dennis Kucinich visited the Screen Actors Guild today

Dennis Kucinich, presidential candidate visited the Screen Actors Guild today and met up some of SAG's executives for a brief meet and greet. I was fortunate to be the designated photographer to cover the event. Here are some of the photos of the day.

Yum Dom Cha, Sic Gor Bau

My good friend Robert Hom sent me the video below this morning. Pretty Rad. This is the first Chinese rapper that a major record label signed. He broke the stereotypical image of Asians as being only good at school, work, smart, un-interesting, not talent enough for the American public.

For some reason, I've always been proud that there are Chinese entertainers who can cross cultural boundaries and make it on the big screen. For example, John Lone, who starred in "The Last Emperor", and his not so prominent role as the head Chinese Mafia boss in "The Year of the Dragon". He spoke Chinese and English dialogue virtually without any accent. As far as I can remember, this is the first time an Asian actor who spoke perfect English was not directed to speak with an accent in a starring role. I really like that movie because it was filmed in NYC and it hit really close to "home" because I witnessed many of the things/events that movie depicted. I also remember the Chinese community was outraged at the time because that movie represented a very negative image in the Chinese Community. I on the other hand, could not agree more. I should know... I lived through it during my teenage years.