I’m on a roll..

After previewing my domain to a select few, I’ve made a few changes. There are some more to come, but the structure is likely to remain the same. I’m currently looking for some scripts to replace the “film-strip” layout of my albums, and perhaps another means of keeping the album descriptions visible.

Meanwhile, there are some new developments in the pipeline. There is a very realistic possibility I will be doing more traveling in the near future and I am in the early stages of forming the blueprint of my plans. It will most likely be in South East Asia and before then, I really need to make the commitment and pick up a digital SLR. Much as I would love to get the D700, I’ll probably wind up with the D80.

My Strobist dvds are due to arrive later this week. I can’t wait! Currently I have a Nikon SB-600. After going through the dvds, who knows. I might seriously need to make another investment.

Stay tuned!

After much trepidation (ha) I’m pleased to announce that I finally got off my butt and put something together resembling a website. Which is nothing short of a wonder, since I registered it at least three months ago and did little more than slap on an old photograph. I can’t even take credit for installing wordpress, which my awesome friend Jeff did for me (did I mention he’s also hosting me? What a stud.)

I’m actually quite pleased with the outcome. I made a few modifications to my initial sketch, but it’s pretty much what I had in mind. It’s on the minimalist side (sparse, even) and it still needs some work, but it is definitely the first jolt of creativity I’ve had in a long time.

So feel free to take a gander: www.evaychan.com and drop a comment to let me know what you think!

Next step: blog re-vamp.

Gosh it’s been long. The last time I wrote was in what.. April? About changes that still haven’t been made? Yikes. So much for blogging accountability.

So returning from my accidental hiatus, a brief update. Summer has crept up on us all and the past few months have been a bit of a rollercoaster. I was staffed on a project in Taiwan, which was quite eye-opening as to what working across borders is like. Unfortunately it was a rather busy time, so for once, I went sans camera (never again!) I also spent some time in the Western Hemisphere for my brother’s graduation and our subsequent trip to Panama.

Now last year, I was in Costa Rica with some friends and figured that Panama was going to be pretty much the same. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The logistics of us getting there was an adventure unto itself. We were nearly stranded (twice) and even though I’ve done the whole touristy zip lining experience in CR, it’s nothing like Panama. For one, we were high enough to be in the clouds and there’s no feeling like thinking you’re going to colide into a tree at what feels like a million miles an hour. We also went white-water rafting on the Chiriqui river in prime conditions and had a great river guide with a sense of humor. Just for kicks, he would get us to spin down class 3 rapids to make it more challenging. Now that’s my kind of guide!

On to site developments. This afternoon has been relatively quiet at work so I took 20 minutes out to draft out a sketch of my site. It will be very sparse (I’ve been on this whole minimalist thing lately) and will likely function either as a low-bandwith version or temporary version until I can think of something snazzier (right. don’t hold your breath.) But I am relatively happy with the concept, even if it’s only on paper for the time being.

Now onto the piece of news that prompted me to dust off my blog. As of July 1st, Nikon announced its first DSLR amateur FX camera. The shock and awe that I feel is threefold. Firstly, that it took me nearly a week and a half to find out. Secondly, that M, one of my all-time photography mentors was right (he predicted this nearly a year ago and told me to hold off making any investments until this summer) and thirdly, IT’S A FX CAMERA FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

*hyperventilates*

To say that I desperately want this, would be no exaggeration. Aie me. Another thing to add on to the things-to-save-up-for list.

The month of April is going to hold a lot of changes for this girl. My next project (starting later this week) will have some travel opportunities to a few large cities in China. Not particularly exciting for old timers, but for a newbie, I’m excited.

Mid-May, I will be back in the US for my brother’s graduation and then heading off to Panama with the bro and one of my best friends. We’ll be in the rain forest a good portion of the time, and knowing these two, we’ll also be doing a lot of adventure sports including white water rafting and diving to ruins. To say I’m excited, would be a huge understatement.

Portfolio/site wise, I’ve made some modifications on my original layout, drafted almost a year ago. It’s going to be more focused on my work and less on text. In truth, my current layout doesn’t excite me the way I usually get when I design something that’s just a perfect fit. It will undoubtedly be a work in progress. But I am excited to unveil a coherent collection of work.

Speaking of which, a new opportunity has come up for me to do another comissioned shoot. This one will feature child photography – for an infant. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to branch out and work with a wider range of subjects, particularly as I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to work with this age group so far. Nothing is confirmed yet, so keeping les fingers crossed :)

I’ve been doing a lot of reading into what I might need to do to take my work to the next level. Both in technique as well as business practice. I love that photography gives me a way of expressing myself and using both sides of my brain – the creative and business/logic side.

Last but not least, I’ve decided it’s time for this girl to make the transition over to digital and shell out the big bucks. I’ve been working for almost half a year now, and I never manage to bite the bullet and make the investment. (And somehow, the funds wind up getting diverted onto more frivolous things.) So before the end of this month, I will be the proud owner of a Nikon digital SLR. The current race is between the D80, D200, and D300 (heavily leaning towards the D80 though.) Because of my resource constraints, I think it’s more important to invest in lenses. So I’m willing to go with a body that gets the job done. When it comes to my kit, I’m proud of the fact that I know each and every facet of my equipment and though humble, its worth so much to me since I worked for it all on my own even as a high school student. I dread the day when I stop caring and stop getting excited about getting to the next step.

Keep your eyes open, more photos to come!