Wilson Ng Photography Blog: 2013

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

SF Holiday Cheer

San Francisco Skyline with Holiday Lights Seen from Under the Bay Bridge. San Francisco, CA.

In the spirit of Christmas, here's a picture I wanted to share with you showing the San Francisco skyline draped with holiday lights. The Embarcadero Buildings are outlined with over 17,000 lights while TransAmerica's 6,000-watt beacon is also lit, making the skyline shines a little brighter during this time of the year.

While there are many vistas to enjoy the views of the bridge and the city, I bet most of you have not seen them from this perspective in person. Getting here requires taking some "creative" routes and hiking down a very steep slope. It's a picture I have wanted to take for a while, and I am happy that I had finally made the effort to come here during this holiday season.

Here's wishing everyone Merry Christmas and a Better New Year! God Bless!

Please Do Not Use or Copy Without Written Permission from Wilson Ng.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Clean Sweep

Rushing Waves Sweeping the Beach at Natural Bridge Park. Santa Cruz, CA.

It has been a long while since the last time I shot from the beach. Trying to get my feet wet again - both figuratively and literally - I chose a spot that is easily accessible with very low risk to start. This beach is popular among locals and on any given weekend, you will see people of all ages from 2 year-old toddlers to 80 year-old grandmas strolling and playing here. It made no exception even on this day with high surf and strong rip current warnings posted at the entrance.

As sunset time approaches, I stuck my tripod to the sand and waited for the waves to rush in to take my shot. I like how the sweeping waves created these lines leading to my subject. Needless to say, I got wet taking this shot. There were not a lot of clouds that afternoon, but luckily most of them were in the position I wanted. Good times...

Please Do Not Use or Copy Without Written Permission from Wilson Ng.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Painter's Palette

Mirror Reflection of the Alpenglow ( 水鏡朝霞 ) . Eastern Sierra.

This was taken on the last day of my trip in the Eastern Sierra. Without a single patch of cloud and with wind virtually still that morning, I revisited a familiar location and was happy to see a perfect glassy reflection of the alpenglow projected on the lake. I was even more surprised to find myself alone at this span of the shore. The vivid texture of the mountain along with bunch of green and yellow aspens made this rock wall quite colorful and reminded me of a painter's palette that I'd played with when I was a kid.

Please Do Not Use or Copy Without Written Permission from Wilson Ng.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Moody Jazz

Golden Gate North Tower with Rolling Fog and Bay Bridge Spans in the Background. San Francisco, CA.

It was quite an interesting evening at the Headlands. The bay was completely clear the whole afternoon that day. After shooting an uneventful twilight, I was ready to pack and go. But as I was leaving, I saw some fog rolling down the side of the hills and patches of fog started to gather around the foot of the bridge. It prompted me to stop my car and I watched the movements of the fog for a few minutes, before decided to turn around as it seems promising that something good was about to happen. The fog rolled in really fast that night. After I got back up to the hill and setup, I was only able to capture a few frames before the entire area and the bridge got covered in fog. The entire scene changed from completely clear to fully covered in fog in less than 20 minutes. It was quite a show to watch, but sadly too short to really enjoy this time.

Please Do Not Use or Copy Without Written Permission from Wilson Ng.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Quiet Path

A Quiet Walkway Engulfed in Fog ( 霧中道路 ) . Marin County, CA.

On this Mid-Summer morning, with forecast of dense fog in the coastal area, I drove to this location to check out how this tree tunnel lane would look when enveloped in fog. When I arrived at the scene, the entire area was definitely foggy. I could barely see 100 feet ahead of me. However, not as much fog seems to get inside this lane. Perhaps, the building sitting at the end of this road and the thick canopy created by these trees held the fog back. Nonetheless, I like the added mood created by the fog in this scene, and how it allowed me to capture this with more depth and details from the soft and diffused light that was presented.

Please Do Not Use or Copy Without Written Permission from Wilson Ng.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Morning After the Storm

It was autumn, and two of my friends and I were on a road trip to capture some fall colors when an unexpected snow storm hit us while we were on one of the highest peaks in the Eastern Sierra. Subsequently, we'd lost our trail on the way back due to the fresh snow covering. Without a clear path, navigating our way down the mountain in the dark became quite a challenge. Looking back, I think it could have been dangerous. But, that's a different story for another day. After we got back to our car safely, we found ourselves stranded on Tioga Pass as the roads were closed on both sides due to snow. Exhausted, tired and with no other options, we slept in the car for the night.

I woke up early the next morning and found ourselves in winter paradise. Meadows, trees, rocks were all covered with fresh snow. Although it was completely overcast and the ground was pretty icy, we decided to walk around and look for photo opportunities while we waited for the roads to reopen. As the fog/clouds continued to clear, this mountain peak slowly revealed itself. To my delight, I immediately walked to the edge of the lake and scouted for my shot. I like how the rocks in the shallow water provided a nice foreground that transitions to the mirror reflection of the mountain here. Although not the fall color shot that we'd planned for, this turned out to be quite a bonus for us on this trip nonetheless. Not to mention the adventures that went along with it!

Please Do Not Use or Copy Without Written Permission from Wilson Ng.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Tamron Food Photography Contest Winner

I have been on a hiatus with my photography work. Today, I am going to share a good news with you all - something different from my usual posts. Back in December, I entered a Food Photography Contest sponsored by Tamron USA, and recently received news from them that my entry was selected as the contest winner.

Contest Judge Hernan Rodriguez stated, "I put myself in the contestant's shoes. I know when I did competitions, I put in a lot of time and effort into creating my images. I believe that Wilson's exhibit had the best technical application for food photography along with well lit images".

The February 2013 issue of Tamron USA e-Newsletter has a short article featuring my food photo work. I am extremely honored to get published and to have won this contest. To read the article, please go to Tamron USA February 2013 e-Newsletter page.