BWLeePhotography

Blog as been Moved!

2009-12-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much lately as I have been in the process of moving my content to a new server. Please find a link to my new blog site below:

www.bwleephotography.com/wordpress

Welcome to the Family!

2009-12-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

I love buying new camera equipment! Thing have been going very well for me on the photography side lately and I've made enough money now to invest in a 2nd flash. I want you to meet the newest member of my Nikon family, the SB-900:

N'Damus Photo Shoot

2009-11-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

I did a product shoot on Black Friday for N'Damus, an English leather handbag boutique. It was nice to work with a team of people for this shoot and not have too be a one man show. I could get use to it...

For more information on N'Damu's products, please visit their website.

Strobist Info:

Left: White Lightning 1600W @ 1/4 fired through Soft Box via Pocket Wizard

Right: SB800 fired through umbrella @ 1/8 via Pocket Wizard

Accessories by Ayurvastram

2009-11-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

This was a product shoot I did for a boutique named Ayurvastram located in Los Altos, CA. The boutique sells accessory items such as jewlery, scarves, and fine quality tunics as well.

For more information please visit Ayurvastram website.

Model: Jen

Sunset Fashion

2009-11-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

I got a pair of umbrellas and light stands this past week and wanted to try them out. Jeannie was kind enough to let me try some shots out during sunset.

Strobist Info: SB600 at 1/4 fired via Nikon CLS

Bruin Cupcakes!

2009-11-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

I went to shoot a Baby Shower over the weekend and having never been to one I had no idea what to expect. It wasn't all OOOs and AHHHs as I had thought it was going to be.

I couldn't take my eyes off how cool these cupcakes looked with these home made fondant bears on top of them. I felt it added a real nice touch as a decoration. They were so nice looking that not a single one was touched the entire day.

Website is Live !!

2009-10-29T11:44:00.001-07:00

After finally getting all the pieces together, my official website is up and running! I want to thank John Topete of Advancemysite.com for assisting me in this. I couldn't have done it without him. This website is a big step for me in becoming a more serious photographer and I hope you all enjoy it. Please follow the link below:

www.bwleephotography.com

A couple more from Maui

2009-10-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures I took while on vacation in Maui:

If you want some more background on these shots, you can view the Flickr album.

Jeannie

2009-10-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

I got an awesome opportunity this weekend to help as an assistant during a studio shoot. I got to learn the ropes and had the chance to shoot some pictures as well. It was was a very rewarding experience and can't wait to have my own studio in the future... I can dream right? Thanks Alan again for the great experience!

Jeannie was great to work with and I hope to shoot with her again.

Kapalua Beach

2009-10-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

This was a beautiful stretch of sand in a resort area on the west end of Maui. It was so beautiful in fact that there were two seperate weddings photo shoots going on at the same time! I've always wondered what it would be like to be a photographer in Hawaii, probably got to love doing weddings though.

Battle of the Badges

2009-10-13T21:56:00.001-07:00

I got to shoot ring side at an amateur boxing tournament called Battle of the Badges. The tournament fighters were either police officers, corrections officers, or fire fighters. I've never been to an event like this before let alone be so close to the action. There were moments when the boxers ran into the ropes right in front of my face. It was a very awesome experience. I like this shot a lot because of the blow the guy's face was so hard you can see the sweat coming off his head.

Taken with a Nikon D80 and 50mm f/1.8

Sunset at Lahiana

2009-10-12T22:09:00.001-07:00

I'm back! Hawaii was just wonderful and suffering from withdrawal! I didn't take as many photos as thought as I was going too but that's because I was in total relaxation mode. I did capture a couple nice moments like the one below. Sunsets are spectacular in paradise and getting to see them every day never gets tiring.

Tradition

2009-10-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

Chinese Opera is an art form that dates back to the 3rd century CE. I got the chance to attend a Chinese Opera event in San Francisco and got to check out the behind the scenes as they were getting ready. The troupe performing came from the Red Bean Youth Group who did an excellent job. if you're interested in learning more about this troupe I've provided a link below:

Red Bean Cantonese Opera House

Off to Paradise

2009-10-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

I will be on vacation for about a week so don't expect any updates any time soon. I hope to bring some really nice pictures back to share with everyone. I am excited for this upcoming month as I have a lot of shoots planned as well as the launch of my new website.

Training Day

2009-09-30T07:19:00.001-07:00

A buddy of mine asked me to come out to his gym to take some photos of him training a fighter for the Battle of the Bagdes. After watching them spar I realized that I would never want to get into that ring because it looks like one hell of a beating. Taken with a 50mm f/1.8

Pete

2009-09-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

I worked with Pete this past weekend in Berkeley, CA and got a couple nice shots out of him. It was my first time shooting a male model so I had to adjust the way I normally take photos.

Fenced

2009-09-22T18:19:00.001-07:00

I got the opportunity to shoot with Stef again and it was a lot of fun trying out different poses and looking for exteriors. I got a lot of use of my new MB-D80 vertical grip and I'm very glad I got it.

More photos from this session at Flickr.

Time for some Color

2009-09-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

I was looking at my blog recently and I noticed that I've posted a bunch of Black and Whites lately. I wanted to post something with a bit more color this time around. I took this photo a couple months ago during my long weekend stay in Lake Tahoe and the colors came out so well that its one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Innocence

2009-09-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

This photo shoot was one of the most difficult ones by far and it wasn't that the children were being fussy but it was the weather. It was well into the 90s in the afternoon and I had came straight from work to do this session wearing jeans and a dress shirt. Sweating and taking pictures of children was not the best mix in the world but I made it work.

Sisters

2009-09-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

It's taken me awhile to get these photos processed but better late than never. I shot these two sisters at J Park in Hayward, CA. The photos that struck me the most from this set were those that expressed family to me.

Kat + Andrew

2009-09-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

I shot my first e-session a couple weeks ago with this wonderful couple who I've known for quite some time. We shot in Sausilto, CA and while I was worried that there would be too many people around, there were some nice quiet spots to capture moments like these.

More photos to come soon!

Stefanie

2009-09-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've always been asked if there was any certain area I was going to focus in for photography and up until now I've been trying out as much as I can. I do have to say that I enjoy portraits and working with people during a photo shoot. This is one of my first set of portraits I've done and I was very happy with the results. It was also easy because it was fun to work with Stefanie. These are some of my favorites from the shoot:

View the rest of the album on Flickr.

AT&T Park

2009-08-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

My Friday night consisted of the 3Gs: Great Seats, Garlic Fries, and a Giants win! With a tropical system passing through San Francisco creating an unusually muggy and warm Friday night, it provided me with some unique skies to capture. This also marks the first shot I worked with in RAW and I have to admit there's a much larger dynamic range to work with.

Cliche Photography

2009-08-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

You can't be a photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area unless you have a photo of this monument. Taken from China Beach.

My Nikon Gear

2009-08-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

So in preparation for an engagement shoot tomorrow, I rented a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. This thing is huge! I will be very excited to see how the pictures come out. I couldn't resist taking a picture of all my gear when seeing this lens on my camera.

One day this thing will be mine...

J Garden

2009-08-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

I spent this past weekend doing a portrait shoot in the Hayward area and found a beautiful Japanese Garden located in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I've also posted a link to the garden at the bottom. I hope to post the pictures from the portrait shoot later this week.

Link to J Garden

Lake Tahoe

2009-08-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I last posted but between getting a new computer and spending a long weekend in Lake Tahoe I haven't had much time to sit down and get through my photos. But for those readers that have been waiting here's a teaser:

Quick Update

2009-07-30T08:09:00.001-07:00

I'm heading off on vacation for a couple days for some rest and relaxation and won't be posting any pictures this week. I will of course bring my camera and try to take some photos to bring back. I will also be in a phase of transition as I have gotten a new shiny Apple and need to learn the ropes. I finally get to replace my old desktop that has slowly but faithfully edited my photos. I have a busy August ahead of me but I'm looking forward to these upcoming shoots.

Another Day on Set of the Curse of the Black Lotus

2009-07-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

I spent another day shooting during the filming of Curse of the Black Lotus and I am very late sharing these photos with everyone. Better late than never right? My apologies of course.

Album located on Flickr.

Mukai Designs

2009-07-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

I was given the privilege of doing a photo shoot for a friend who is a talented designer. I wish I had some of her sewing skills to fix my own pants! Enjoy!

Album located on Flickr.

Carmel

2009-07-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Carmel is a beautiful jewel on the coast of California with lots of great views. Though I spent most of the time at the Point Lobos State Reserve, I would definitely go back to Carmel to do more shooting int the town itself.

Album located on Flickr.

Cytomax Benicia Criterium

2009-06-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

I happen to come upon a bike race in Benicia and was able to get some neat photos. Enjoy!

Album located on Flickr.

Modern Day Venice

2009-06-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Every city has something unique about it and this one in particular exemplifies that. Take a guess where this might be:

Photos located on Flickr.

Benicia State Capitol

2009-06-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

It's always easy to over look history, so sometimes we have to slow down and take a look back. I spent some time visiting the Benicia Capitol State Park which apparently was the California State Capitol before its move to Sacramento. Here's a little bit more history:

"Benicia Capitol State Historic Park is a state park in Benicia, California. The park is dedicated to California’s third capitol building, where the California State Legislature and bureaucracy convened from February 3, 1853 to February 24, 1854. It is the only pre-Sacramento capitol that survives."

That's enough education for now, on with the pictures:

Photos located on Flickr.

Curse of the Black Lotus

2009-06-18T21:44:00.001-07:00

Last week I was invited to shoot behind the scenes for a friend's movie titled "Curse of the Black Lotus". I've never been on a film set before so that was a great experience. For more information on this movie please follow the link.

Album located on Flickr.

Famous Fentons

2009-06-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

I know what you're all thinking, three posts in one week? That's right, I had a great time shooting this past weekend and wanted to share it all with you. If you haven't seen the new Pixar film "Up", I think you should quickly make your way over to your local theater. It was a great movie and even included a local spot I happened to cross by during my weekend.

For more info on Fentons cameo appearance, click here.

Find a larger image on Flickr.

A Day in the Life Of... Catherine M.

2009-06-16T20:00:00.001-07:00

What was suppose to be an arts and crafts day turned out to be an impromptu photo shoot that inspired me to create a series called: "A Day in the Life Of..." This really consisted of me following my friend around on a Sunday afternoon and her letting me capture them on a digital negative. Enjoy!

Album located on Flickr.

Tripod Fun

2009-06-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

I was able to pick up a used tripod over the weekend at Kaufmann's Camera in San Mateo. It's a great store in the peninsula and I would recommend it if you're looking for a store with staff that know what they're talking about. With a tripod comes great night photos so that same day I went around Millbrae looking for some neat night time shots to take. I am very happy with this one:

Saratoga

2009-06-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I spent a good part of the day in the Santa Cruz Mountain area in the town of Saratoga. It's a small town with lots of neat places to shoot at such as Villa Montalvo and Hakone Gardens. Enjoy!

Album located on Flickr.

What I Shoot With

2009-06-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

I shoot with a Nikon D80 which I am very happy with right now. It's been a great starter DSLR and I will continue to use it until I outgrow it. I shoot primarily with a 18-200 mm lens but also shoot with a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens.

Bodega Bay

2009-06-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to head out to Bodega Bay for some hiking and tidepooling. I wish the sun had been out earlier in the morning but at least it came out in the afternoon.

Album located on Flickr

Sonoma

2009-06-01T20:06:00.001-07:00

Several months ago I went wine tasting with some friends in the California wine country. Great weather and lots of great things too shoot. The grapes haven't come in yet so I don't have any typical vineyard pictures. I will have to do that for my next trip.

An Introduction

2009-06-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

For the inaugural post, I felt it was fitting to start it with an introduction of myself and why I decided to pick up photography. I have been raised most of my life looking at the world with the left brain. I am an engineer by training and use that left brain thinking 40 hours a week. At a certain point I felt there was something missing and I soon realized that I was not using my right brain at all. I was inspired by a friend who constantly travels the world and captures everything on a camera. Being unskilled in most artistic avenues I felt that photography could be a great hobby to pick up and as I have gained more experience shooting, I think I've found the balance to my left brain ways.