After walking the Hudson River Greenway, we came back to Korea Way and got some warm drinks to relax and wait for our friends. Bear got an Aztec hot chocolate (which wasn’t what we were expecting–we were hoping for pure unadulerated bitter dark chocolate with a sprinkling of cayenne, but instead we got a regular old hot chocolate) and I got a sweet potato latte. The sweet potato latte was the winner; it actually tasted like sweet potato.

I love it when my Teddy Bear is in the city. It’s hard to find pockets of free time when your significant other is a medical student, but every moment is made all the more precious because of the scarcity. ♥

It Was So Cold Lately They Turned Blue!*

Vanilla yogurt with blueberries.

Unfortunately I can’t show you the EXIF data of my food photos because I’ve forgotten what they were and I didn’t upload them to Flickr, so Flickr can’t tell me either. From what I remember, this was shot with my 35mm, ISO 200 or 400, f-stop 1.8, unknown shutter, exposure bias at…-5/3, I think?

*P.S. The person who can guess this reference wins a metaphorical gold star from me.

Doshirak

Packed lunch! I wanted to assemble my tuna melt sandwich at working, instead of getting there and having it be all soggy and gross. Ew.

The Korean word for a “packed lunch” is doshirak (named for the “box” or tin–identical in purpose and word usage to the Japanese bento). My grandmother used to pack my lunch every morning all the way through high school (yes, I know, I know) with actual Korean food; now I make do with a low-Calorie tuna melt. (Also, hell if I know what the EXIF data is for this. I’m assuming it’s probably similar to the previous photo as lighting conditions were similar and I haven’t switched my lenses since I got the 35mm.)

White-Harp, M.D.

It's a doctor Harp!

Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 400

And a bonus photo! I don’t think I ever showed you guys a picture of White-Harp in her scrubs. Bear got her a set for Christmas (because he is the bestest Bear ever). Now she can be the star of her own TV show, White-Harp, M.D. (I would like you to direct your attention to the adorable bootie–singular–that she is wearing.)

That’s all! Hopefully I will have something more interesting next week.

Narcissism

These are my favourite tights because they're the warmest.

Exposure 0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias -5/3 EV

Winter always gets me so down.

Exposure 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

35mm Prime Lens

The paper lanterns at GustOrganics, a restaurant where I had dinner last week.

Exposure 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 1600

I love the table decor here.

Exposure 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 1600

iPhoneography

I got the Hipstamatic app, and I have to say I really love it. I just love the lomo-effect it gives these photos. Totally worth getting all the extras too so you can play around with it.

Left: A really stupid facial expression. Right: My collection of toy cars.

I sent a picture of White-Harp wishing Bear a happy Valentine's day on Valentine's Day. The quality of the camera on this phone is kind of astounding.

Left: The streets of Chelsea in New York. Right: The Chelsea Clearview Cinema.

A Luna Bar I had as a snack. Look at the clarity of this image! Jesus!

Left: Windblown self-portrait. The front facing camera isn't as good as the back. Top right: Post-long run brunch with Rachel. Bottom right: Coffee. Mmmm, coffee.

Left: A candid shot from editorial meeting. Top right: Ladies of SMP! Bottom left: A double exposed photo of the N train.

Other photography apps I’ve downloaded include SwankoLab and DXP, which I recommend to play around with and give your photos interesting processing effects. DXP is a double exposure app, which is kind of neat.

I love the body language of this couple.

Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

I love this red color.

Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

This year's fall foliage hasn't been too impressive, but I do love this yellow color.

Exposure 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

Bear's hometown put up scarecrows during October and they were the most adorable things ever.

Exposure 1/4000 sec
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

That’s it, mostly. Pretty dull, eh? I really ought to get back into the habit of shooting regularly.

I love yellow leaves. They're my favourite fall color.

Exposure 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

This kid makes me nostalgic for college.

Exposure 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

I was experimenting with shooting against mirrored surfaces. This guy ended up headless. Oops!

Exposure 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

Another reflected photo.

Exposure 0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

Caught this person napping at the 34th St. station.

Exposure 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

The leaves are golden on my street.

Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/10.0
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

I've never shot during twilight before, so this was a bit of practice.

Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

I keep hearing Belle and Sebastian's Like Dylan in the Movies when I see this. Lisa's kissing men like a long walk home...

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

Evening over Astoria.

Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/7.1
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200

The sun setting behind the Triborough Bridge.

Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/7.1
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200

A girl waits for the N train.

Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

Sunflowers on my door. Psychic Roommate dried a bunch and hung them.

Exposure 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

Despite the thumbs down, my coworker and I thought this was kind of cute. Not something either of us would taken on though.

Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

Autumn is on its way. The leaves haven't really changed yet, but the weather is definitely getting colder.

Exposure 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

That’s it for this week. I’ve been feeling kind of stagnant when it comes to my photography. Like…I feel like I ought to be stretching the limits of my post-processing process or staging, but mostly I feel blah. I’ve thought about investing in another couple of prime lenses, a wide-angle 35mm f/1.8 for more general scene photography and I would also like a telephoto lens. Unfortunately, it appears as though all telephoto lenses cost an arm and a leg, so we shall see about that.

I passed this while walking up Broadway to 32nd Street after work and thought it looked like a mutant smiley face.

Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

It’s a mish-mash under the cut, really. Assorted photos I shot if I remembered to bring my camera with me and a few portraits of people I know.

I shot this waiting for the N train at 42nd Street. This man was carrying a purse. I don't care if they call it a satchel; it's still a goddamned purse.

Exposure 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400
Exposure Bias -5/3 EV

Back in August, Psychic Roommate and I were astonished to discover that the Tree of Indeterminate Stone Fruit outside my fire escape was actually a peach tree. It was a haul like I'd never seen in the three years I lived there. Later Psychic Roommate made peach pie.

Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

I spied this ad in the park near my apartment. It's possibly the best ad for a housekeeping service ever. And kudos for being a man!

Exposure 1/3200 sec
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

Kody Keplinger celebrating the launch of her debut novel THE DUFF.

Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

Psychic Roommate at the midnight release party for MOCKINGJAY at Books of Wonder.

Exposure 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

A girl dressed up as Effie Trinket for the MOCKINGJAY party.

Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

And last but not least, Cap'n Sweet Valley.

Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

Things I need to work on: processing photos in Photoshop more creatively than I do now. Also, remembering that I don’t need such a high ISO all the time.