I mentioned I was going shoot some pretty Asian models with the flickr Hong Kong Strobist group … and I did just that. The group of us, loaded down with light stands, flashes, various umbrellas, triggers and equipment met at the public dock in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island. The intention was to shoot on the docks, among dilapidated shelters, machinery, barrels and crates. Cool, no?

After starting to set-up – the security guards waded in. In mainland China security guards are everywhere, like a benign plague of locust, and they are generally ignored. In my city of Shenzhen I think there is one security guard for every 25 square-meters of real estate. Had we been shooting in Shenzhen, slipping a folded fifty would have dealt with the situation. Alas, Hong Kong security guards are a little more on the ball than their mainland brothers.

After a quick hike, totting equipment, props, models and make up artists, we arrived at a vacant lot / hillside drainage area. We set-up (again) and went to work in the fading light. The models were great. I learned some new techniques from some kick-ass shooters. Pretty Asian Model, Heidi (above) was a joy to work with. (If the photo would have had a backlight if would be killer) For more images – see my flickr stream.

To any photographers: Do you warm up before you shoot. Zack Arias talks about warming up in his One Light DVD series – getting in the groove before starting a session. I need to do something in this regard – my series with the first model truly sucks. Tips, anyone?

If you’re exploring the Strobist world I suggest meeting up with your local group. Good times.

I’ve been playing with lights, when time has allowed. Softboxes, umbrellas, flashes, triggers: The whole strobist thing. Alas, much of my photography lately has been product shots, nothing too exciting.

The above was shot a while back. As I was setting up for some product shots – with models – a colleague walked on to the set and busted out a move that would make Zoolander proud. A little post production with Nik EFX and voila.

My beloved 40D is being healed by the doctors at Canon Hong Kong. It’s been repaired – at 1/3 of the price I paid for it. Let his be a lesson: Even a few raindrops and DSLRs don’t mix. I am stuck in visa limbo  and can’t travel to HK to pick up the refurbished 40D. I can’t even ask, as The Clash once did, “Should I stay or should I go?” I won’t have my resident permit for another week. My old Canon 400D is driving me looney.

I need a new camera. I can’t decide between the Canon 5D Mark II or the new Canon 7D. The former is full frame, super-sharp, and great in low light. The latter has amazing autofocus. With a house to reno I can’t afford either, but I’d like to have something to aim for.

Hopefully, during the Chinese New Year holiday I can shoot some new photos (when I am not painting Chez DIY).

After my fun afternoon playing dressing up in the park with Mrs. Stevo, I decided to revisit the locale. Mrs. Stevo acted as make-up artist/assistant, wearing a Queen Elizabeth-type hat (she is fond of hats), her colleague was the model. No, it’s not a perfect shot. There’s a few technical details that irk me, but overall it’s not bad. Shooting in a public space, with many spectators, and trying to keep track of a model, gear, and setting flashes is not an easy task.

I’m heading into a lovely 8-day national holiday. It will be a photographyfest. Stay tuned.

Vote For Stevo

It’s not November, and it’s not an election year, but you can still vote. I have a photo in Fox Nomad’s Cheesy Travel Photo Contest. My breathless self-portrait faces some pretty stiff competition. A vote for me is a vote for…  A vote for me will keep me from placing dead last. Who likes being last? Not The Stevo. I’d like to share the tales of an old friend and amazing traveler: YYZtrvlr (I won’t use his real name as he’s a secret agent, or a high school teacher, and tries to stay anonymous). Over the past month he’s climbed all five of China’s sacred Taoist mountains. He’s documented his summer journey, stopping by twice to see me. Give him a read, after you VOTE for me.

Shanghai, The Bund.

I’m back from Shanghai. The 2009 Interphoto Shanghai (show) was a great event. I met a great many photographers from around the world, saw some cool gear, played with expensive toys, and ate at many a buffet. No legendary Shanghai escorts or Shanghai massage from the married Stevo.

Drinking Chinese rice wine, bai jiu, with giggling Korean models was probably the highlight of the trip.  Korean women have a reputation in Asia as being the prettiest – the beauties usually being the ones that have benefited from Korea’s top-notch cosmetic surgery. I’ve heard tell that the average Chinese woman is far prettier than the average Korean woman.  Before I further digress I will abandon this debate.

Rain on a hotel window: Shanghai weather during July 2009.

What did I see in Shanghai? The world famous Bund? The Pearl Tower? The French Concession? Old town? The Shanghai World Financial Center?

Nay.

Side trips to beautiful Hangzhou, West Lake,  or Suzhou?

Nay.

What did you see, Stevo?

Mostly? The hotel, the convention center, and the two hundred meters between the two buildings. And, Pudong and Hongqiao Airports (I didn’t actually fly in or out of Hongqiao: It’s a long story).

Am I bitter? No, it was a good time. I’m always up for a bit of China travel, even if my sightseeing in Shanghai possibilities were limited. My brief taste of the city left me with a hunger for more.

The best part of the trip was my return. No, not the turbulence-filled flight or the delays caused by the foul weather over south China. Mrs. Stevo returned during my excursion to Shanghai and we’ve spent the last week trying to get reacquainted after her 10 month adventure in England.

Stay tuned, cool stuff ahead before I head out on my summer trip.

photo credit: simonsmith001

I had the chance to stay in a 5-Star Hotel last week. There’s nothing like being in the lap of luxury. As I was watching CNN (a rarity in China) I jotted down the following list of difference between staying in 5-Star hotels and hostels.

1. Taxi drivers often know how to get to 5-Star Hotels.
2. Your luggage and belongings are more secure in five star hotels than they are in the battered locker of a hostel.
3. You don’t have to pay a deposit for towels in a 5-Star Hotel.
4. At 5-Star Hotels you don’t have to share your room with 3, 5, 7 or 11 strangers.
5. In a 5-Star Hotel you, more often than not, are the only person having sex in your room.
6. You don’t have to worry about being awakened between 3 am and 8 am by drunken roommates at a 5-Star Hotel.
7. A night in a 5-Star Hotel doesn’t include wearing earplugs.
8. The free breakfast at a 5-Star Hotel is more than cold cereal and instant coffee.
9. The bathrooms at a 5-Star Hotel are often larger than hostel rooms in Hong Kong.
10. The staff at a 5-Star Hotel are professional, deferential, and helpful; not travelers working odd shifts to pay for their own rooms.
11. The attire of other guests at a 5-Star hotel doesn’t usually include Che Guevara T-Shirts. Also, dreadlocks are rarely seen in the hotel’s rooms or halls.
12. Most 5-Star Hotels do not offer easy ways to prepare Ramen Noodles.
13. The showers in a 5-Star Hotel can be used without fear or flip-flops.
14. A bell boy will help carry your bags at a 5-Star Hotel, not vaguely point down a hallway.
15. The guests at a 5-Star Hotel are often cold and care little about you or your journeys. They usually won’t offer advice or information on the city you are visiting.
16. The atmosphere in the bars of 5-Star Hotels are akin to a slow elevator ride with Celine Dion and alcohol. The same cannot be said for hostels.
17. Outside the gift shop, there are rarely books and magazines at a 5-Star Hotel to help you spend a quiet (and free) afternoon.
18. The guests at a 5-Star Hotel will know little about a city’s bus system or how to effectively use it.
19. There is neither a comfy common area or DVD room in a 5-Star Hotel.
20. You’re hard pressed to find a washing machine in a 5-Star Hotel.
21. There isn’t a bulletin board full of useful information at a 5-Star Hotel.
22. Total strangers you meet at a 5-Star Hotel won’t become life-long friends.
23. Five star hotels feel like your grandmother’s parlor, Hostel’s feel like your best friends house.

Veteran travelers: Feel free to chime in with your own observations.

Creative Common photo credit: thisisbossi