Author Archives: untouchedtcphotos

Close Fly-by Maneuvers by the Blue Angels at Fleet Week

20 Sunday Oct 2019

Posted by in Air Show, Blue Angels, Canon 5D Mark IV, F-18 Hornet, Fleet Week, Fleet Week 2019, Fleet Week SF 2019

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The precision and expert maneuvers by the Blue Angels during their air shows amazed me as I was shooting the Blue Angels at the San Francisco Fleet Week. How do these fighter planes move so close to each other and not collide or touch?

I appreciate the great skill and expertise of the Blue Angels every time I watch their shows. Their dedication to be the best is an inspiration to me.

How often do we feel discouraged about improving ourselves in a particular skill? For me – photography has evolved a lot from the beginnings of my career. Technology has greatly improved how photographs look. There are a variety of ways we can share our photos thru Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. The internet has provided a different dimension in the way we see our world. Today’s world provides more ways we can express creativity.

I am striving to find my own road to perfect my photography expertise. This photograph reminds me not to give up on how to create my art.

Expertise takes time to develop. Keep striving to be your best at what you do.

Photos Inspire!

F-35 Lightning II Stealth Fighter flying with the Legendary P-51 Mustang

19 Saturday Oct 2019

Posted by in Air Show, F-35, F-35 Lightning II, Fleet Week, Fleet Week 2019, Fleetweek SF 2019, P-51, P-51 Mustang, Stealth Fighter

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It was a real treat to watch the F-35 Lightning II fly alongside the P-51 Mustang during the Heritage Flight part of the Fleet Week Airshow in San Francisco on Friday, 10/11/19.

The P-51 Mustang was very lethal fighter and was the highest scoring US fighter in the Europe Theater of Operations. Please see the link below for more info about the P-51 Mustang.

Link to Information about the P-51 Mustang.

It was nice to watch the new F-35 Lightning II fly with the old P-51. Having the old with the new interact with each other was really cool. The old fighter airplane is fun to watch with the front propeller which shows the technology of that time.

These pictures remind us how we need to remember the old and examine the present. We can see how the technology of the fighter airplanes has improved from the P-51 to the F-35. Today we see the new plane has such different technology and moves significantly faster than the P-51. But without the beginnings of the P-51, the improved F-35 would not be possible.

When I think of my past and how I was and compare myself to who I am today – what do I see? I hope I have mellowed out a little and learned from my past experience. My wife tells me I have grown slowly over the years to recognize my mistakes and move forward. I expanded my skills in sharing my photos with this blog and social media. I am seeking to improve my photography skills. I am beginning to create my own scenic area to take photographs of nature, birds, butterflies and etc. – More about this hopefully in my future blogs.

A good retrospective question for each of us – Is my new self an improved version of my old self from 10-20 years ago? Our physical bodies of course change with time and may not be the same. But our mental self and our determination to achieve should improve over time. Is there any satisfaction with the person we are today versus the person we were in the past? Do you like the new “you” of today? Have I changed for the better? Can you ask a close friend or family member to share their opinion about who you are today? Self examination is hard but useful.

If we are not happy with ourselves today, can we figure out what we need to do to be better?

Photos Inspire!

Sleek F-35 Lightning II Stealth Fighter at Fleet Week 2019

17 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by in Airshow, F-35, F-35 Lightning II, Fleet Week, Fleet Week 2019, Joint Strike Fighter, Stealth Fighter

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We were fortunate to see the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter perform maneuvers at Fleet Week in San Francisco on Friday, 10/11/19.  It was very cool to see this fifth generation stealth fighter flying over the San Francisco Bay.

The sun was behind me when I shot this picture. The bright blue sky is behind the plane. The plane was at angle where the sun did not illuminate it.

The flames from the fighter’s afterburners looks more dramatic and bright in contrast with the dark silhouette of the fighter jet.

This plane flew before the arrival of the Blue Angels and also flew alongside a P-51 Mustang.

This was the first time I saw this jet at the San Francisco Fleet Week. This is the latest stealth fighter for the Air Force, Navy, and Marines.

I have always enjoyed watching and studying fighter jets. As a child, I would build models of fighter jets. I admired the F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat jets as they were front line fighters when I was a teenager. I collected reference books with information on the various fighter jets. It is easy for me to rattle off information about various fighter jets due to my interest and love for our military’s fighter jets.

I appreciate how our military continues to improve and develop their air superiority fighters to defend our nation.

It reminds me as individuals we should always try to improve our expertise or abilities in our own lives. These fighter jets are reminder to me to keep moving forward and aim to achieve high goals.

See the below link if you are interested in more info about the F-35.

Photos Inspire!

Link to Information about the F-35A Lightning II

Incredible Blue Angels Show at Fleetweek in San Francisco

16 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by in #Fleetweek, Airshow, Blue Angels, F-18 Hornet, Fleetweek, Fleetweek SF 2019

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It was a joy to watch the Blue Angels this past week at Fleetweek in San Francisco. Here was a modified diamond formation with Blue Angels #1, #2, #3, #4, and #7.

We enjoy watching the Blue Angels during the Friday rehearsals. It is less crowded which makes it enjoyable. Watching at Aquatic Park is a great location to watch the air show. We paid to watch the Blue Angels in the Marina. But I think the view at Aquatic Park is better.

I am always amazed how these planes can maneuver together so closely with such precision at high speeds. A lesson can be learned how individuals who have a common goal need to be united to work as one to move effortlessly to achieve.

What goal do you want to focus on? It is always better to be in a team to work together to achieve a goal. Working closely with good communication is the key to moving together as one.

Hope you can be reminded by this photo how a unified team makes it easier to obtain a goal.

Photos Inspire!

Why I love the Transforming Fall Foliage in the “Soo”

09 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by in Autumn colors, Canada, Canadian Fall Foliage, Fall Colors, Fall Foliage, Leaves, Northern Ontario, Ontario Fall Foliage, Ontario in the Fall

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We traveled to the border of Michigan and Ontario, Canada. My mother-in-law was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, otherwise, known as “The Soo”. So my wife has relatives still in the Soo. After my wife and mother-in-law had completed a phone call with a relative from the Soo, I felt an urge to go back. My wife and I had been trying to decide where we should go for a week of vacation. We originally were thinking about Hawaii. But when I started to think about this quaint town and my first previous big fall foliage experience, I felt the need to return. I also wanted to visit my wife’s relatives, since we had not been back to visit for 5 years.

This leaf is in transition to becoming a bright red color. I love the interesting pattern of green and the orange red. This photo was taken in the Hiawatha Highlands located in the north east corner of the Soo. There was a luscious waterfall along side as we climb up the small hill. Fall foliage was in its beginning stages. It was still exciting to be there and experience the changes in the temperature and scenery.

The Soo is a small town where I love it’s scenic and quiet countryside. We wondered how my wife’s grandfather emigrated from China and ended up in the middle of Canada.  But I’m glad he did end up in the Soo. Otherwise,  I would not have found or fallen in love with this place.

The changing colors of the leaves reminds me also how our own lives are in constant change. When we returned to visit our relatives, we realized how we missed many of the aunties and uncles we visited previously. I appreciated the remaining relatives and knew I did not want to delay our visit.

Fall is wonderful time of change which I enjoy to see. I learned to embrace the changes in our lives and make the most of today with the people who are important to me. Our visit with our relatives gave me a refreshed attitude about my photography and ambitions. They were a blessing to us, and we treasure the time we spent together.

Fall reminds us change is a constant in our life. Make the most of today. Make time to visit those important people to experience our life changes together.

How to Envision Your Next Photograph?

04 Friday Oct 2019

Posted by in Aspen, Aspen Trees, Autumn colors, Colorado, Fall Colors, Rocky Mountains, Vail Colorado

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We recently visited relatives in Northern Ontario. My wife’s cousin is a great artist who paints. See below a link to her website!

Susan Chow’s Website

It was great hearing her suggestions for my art, and hopefully we were able to give her suggestions for her art.

We enjoyed a great time exploring the beginnings of the fall foliage during our time in Canada.

We shared some of photographs we are selling on Etsy. She was amazed when she saw my Blue Aspen Tree Magnet Pin – photograph.

She had never seen this site. I photographed this image in Vail, Colorado a few years ago. We missed the true Fall Foliage colors when we visited. I was a little disappointed. But I learned that you never know what sites you will see.

We went hiking in the late afternoon and enjoyed the bare aspen trees. What was amazing was with the shadows and the setting sun on the the white aspen trees gave us the illusion of blue trees! I was so excited to capture this image.

What is more amazing is that Susan created this image in one of her paintings without ever really seeing this. So she was so excited to see the real photograph that I happened to shoot.

It was her goal to one day find this real photograph of Blue Trees. I’m just glad I was able to show her this photograph. Remember I do not alter my photographs. So my images are real and true!

What kind of images would you like to capture? Think about nature, and what you would like to see. Just like anything, we need to plan and envision what sites we would like to find and shoot. Since I love fall foliage, there are some shots I was hoping to find on my fall foliage expedition.

Finding that scenery for a particular shot is like going on a treasure hunt. It becomes so exciting when you actually find that shot in nature.

Stay tuned to see if I found the shots I was seeking in my last trip.

See below if you are curious to see my Blue Aspen Tree Photo Magnet Pin.

My Etsy Store – Aspen Blue Trees in the Shadows Photo Magnet Pin 

How to Photograph Moving Things?

30 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in Airshow, Blue Angels

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Do you find it difficult to shoot pictures of things that are moving?

My wife’s cousin has been trying to take photos of a turtle in a Marsh with Reed’s. She was trying to focus on the turtle, and the turtle was not focused.

I checked the settings on her camera and found several of her settings were incorrect to use the autofocus. It is easy to forget or not understand how these settings should be.

So if you have problems taking moving objects like these Blue Angel planes, make sure your camera settings are correct.

If you have questions about you camera settings, please send me your questions with info about what kind of camera you own. I will be happy to answer your questions to help you take better photos.

Where is a good place to see Fall?

30 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by in Autumn colors, Canadian Rockies, Fall Colors, Fall Foliage, Rocky Mountains

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Where is a good place to experience fall? Living in San Francisco is not a good place to feel the fall season. We do not experience drastic temperature changes. We usually get Indian Summer and can get hot weather now.

I am not a expert on all locations for Fall. These leaves are interesting due to the multiple points in the leaves. Also these fall leaves have complimentary colors. They are not the typical fall colors.

When I visited Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, I noticed many of the leaves were more orange in color.

In Northern Ontario and Michigan, the leaves can be orange. But there are some deep bright red leaves. The redness is attributed to how much sugar there is in the maple tree.

Where is a good location to experience fall? The answer is – it depends. It seems there can be slight variations in the fall colors.

What fall colors do you love? My preference is the bright red leaves. I really like the deep red I see in Northern Ontario.

Let me know what are your favorite fall colors.

What was on the Southside of Candlestick Park?

26 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, niners, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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Do you remember the southern part of Candlestick Park. I took this shot in 1988.

I love looking at the design of the red pattern of the support beams circling the outside of the stadium.

The vintage cars in the parking lot remind us of this eta in the 80’s.

Notice the ramp which leads to other parking lot areas. It provided a safe ok walkway away from the moving cars.

Candlestick Park was a welcoming stadium. Tickets were affordable. I did not have to plan ahead to go to a game. I could spontaneously go to a game and just buy tickets to attend a SF Giants game.

Can we also learn to welcome people into our life? Are we accessible to people? Do we have walls preventing people into our lives? Do we share our experiences with others to encourage or help someone?

We can all learn from the legacy of Candlestick Park.

Why is Red a Good Fall Color?

21 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by in Autumn colors, Canada, Canadian Fall Foliage, Fall Colors, Fall Foliage, Leaves, Northern Ontario, Ontario, Ontario Fall Foliage, Ontario in the Fall

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Being a guy, I tend to wear “guy” colors – meaning dark and monotoned. I rarely wore bright colored shirts.

I am also Chinese. So “Red” is an important color in my culture. We wear it for our parents’ birthdays. We know it symbolizes good luck and prosperity. We give red envelopes to children during Chinese New Year’s and also for special occasions.

It is striking to take the bright red leaf with the dark background. I was randomly shooting the leave and found this ideal scene. Off setting the red and with the dark background highlights the bright colors. Also note how there is a slight brightness from the sun on the leaf. Too much light would give glare. There is just enough light to give a little glow.

The bright fall colors are enjoyable, before we face a dreary winter with the cold and wet weather. The contrast of seasons with the associated colors give us a good diversity. Without this diversity, we would not appreciate the bright reds and oranges of fall. We need this splash of brightness to commemorate and alert us to the changes in temperatures.

As mentioned in other blog posts, I do not alter the colors in my photographs. I do not brighten or enhance the colors. I enjoy the real colors as I see them in nature.

Being real is important. Hope this “real red” leaf photograph reminds us to be real and accept the natural changes in life.