mikelao photography

Moving to WordPress

2007-05-09T20:39:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, I've been debating this for a long time and I'm glad to let you know that I am moving my blog over to Wordpress. Check it out at http://mikelao.wordpress.comI just find WordPress a bit more flexible plus the templates are better (and wider) for my photos. Check it out when you get the chance...have new stuff there. :)

300-like Effects

2007-04-02T11:55:00.000+08:00

My Weekend Challenge - Achieving the 300 movie effects without PhotoshopAfter watching the movie '300' 2 weeks ago, I posed a challenge for myself - achieve the same effects in my photos WITHOUT using Photoshop! My primary objective was to achieve it just by editing the photo in Lightroom. Of course, you can still argue that Lightroom is technically 'Photoshop Lightroom', but since this is my

Adobe CS3 Launch

2007-03-27T18:42:00.000+08:00

Okay - to Adobe fans out there, the Adobe Creative Suite 3 (CS3) will be officially launched today in New York. To get you guys excited, here are some changes:The CS3 comes in different flavors (packages) depending on your needs -> Design Package, Web Package, Production Master, and Master Collection. Both the Design and Web packages come in premium and standard editions.Photoshop CS3 Extended

More Sitti...

2007-03-20T17:05:00.000+08:00

Enjoy...(click on the pictures to view larger version)

D U X - Sorting in Lightroom

2007-03-20T12:44:00.000+08:00

Time for some Adobe Lightrom Tips... I know it's been a while since I posted some tips (and entries in my blog). Anyway, Lightroom 1.0 has a very good system for you to sort/rate your photos. There are a number of ways to sort your photos by using the following tools available in LR:Flags (Pick or Rejects)Ratings (stars)Color LabelsWhat has worked for me (after working with version 1.0) is:After

Sights and Colors of Bulacan

2007-03-20T12:21:00.000+08:00

Posting some pictures from Sunday's trip to Bulacan.The colors/effects were all done in Lightroom using Develop Presets and sharpened them in Photoshop prior to posting them on the web. Some of the effects are inspired by the film 300. =)Enjoy!

Bossa Rocks!

2007-03-20T11:30:00.000+08:00

Sitti - Bossa Rocks ConcertMarch 16, 2007Music MuseumI got the opportunity to watch Sitti live last Friday courtesy of Sherwin (thanks for the free tickets!).Of course, I made sure that I brought my camera with me. I actually brought my 2 lenses (17-40 f4L and 85mm f1.8) but I only used the 85mm one to get a tighter shot of the scene.Some highlights of the concert (for those who have not seen it)

Useful Lightroom Links

2007-03-06T18:58:00.000+08:00

Sharing with you some websites on Adobe Lightroom:NAPP's Lightroom Resource PageLightroom Killer TipsInside Lightroom(for Develop Presets)Sean McCormack's Lightroom siteLightroom Extras (has a downloads section for customizing Lightroom)Luminous Landscape - Lightroom IlluminatedLightroom Tutorials by Michael TapesLightroom NewsAdobe Photoshop Lightroom Support PageLightroom Group on FlickrEnjoy

Patterns and Colors

2007-03-06T18:48:00.000+08:00

Posting some of the new images I uploaded in my Flickr account.These images were all developed in Lightroom 1.0 using the Lightroom Presets + some tweaks on the other 'Develop Settings'. Images were taken from my trip to Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali) on December 2006. Click on the images to view larger version."Beams""Not-so-yellow Brick Road""Bamboo Patterns, Part 2""Bamboo Patterns, Part 1""

iLap - my new Powerbook accessory

2007-03-06T17:49:00.000+08:00

New Powerbook Accessory - iLap! I saw this from the Mac store last weekend and I read the reviews to make sure it's really good. Finally got one yesterday (thanks to Ekky!) and all I can say is - it's a success! Hahaha!More info on iLap can be found at: http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.htmlSome good things about it:gets the heat out of my powerbookcool/sleek design and finish - matches my

iTunes 7.1 - Full Screen Cover Flow!

2007-03-06T17:03:00.000+08:00

iTunes 7.1 has just been released by Apple today. One of the new features is the full screen cover flow view.All I can say is - this is cool! This is a new way of browsing and listening to music! Makes all the hard work of putting album art in my music library worth it!Download the latest version of iTunes at: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

QWERTY

2007-03-04T20:11:00.000+08:00

A MUST VIEW!!!Check out Paolo Dy's film in onthelot.com entitled QWERTY! His video has been voted as one of the top videos in the site. As of last week (March 2), it passed the 12,000 view mark and averaged about 1,000 hits a day.Link to the film: http://films.thelot.com/films/19175About the film:QWERTY is a suspense-thriller. A mentally-afflicted young man named Benny is accused of murdering

Published in Digital Photographer Philippines!

2007-02-26T16:14:00.000+08:00

Good news to myself for Monday - I got my copy of Digital Photographer Philippines #9 and 2 of my photos got published in the Readers' Gallery! They featured Philippine Festivals for this month, and fortunately, they picked 2 of my photos from the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo! Woohoo!!! I am so happy! =)Thank you, DPP (Nino, Nick, Pilar)!Go grab your copies of this fabulous magazine to see my

Lorenz & Vaneza - Prenup Shots

2007-02-26T13:44:00.000+08:00

In case you want to see some pre-nup shots of Lorenz and Vaneza, here are some links from their photographer - Joel Francisco:Prenup photosJoel Francisco PhotographyJoel Francisco's BlogPhoto courtesy of Joel Francisco

Lorenz & Vaneza

2007-02-26T12:49:00.000+08:00

February 24, 2007Santuario de San Jose, East GreenhillsOasis, San JuanTo Lorenz and Vaneza, congratulations and best wishes! Some of the pictures I took (click to get the full version):

Lightroom 1.0 is here!

2007-02-20T09:42:00.000+08:00

At last - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 is finally shipping! I downloaded a 30-day trial yesterday to try out the new features.Here is a summary of my experience with Lightroom 1.0:It took a little over an hour to upgrade my current library to the new one. My Lightroom Library was around 30GB in a firewire disk so I guess that explained it. Had to be patient when the process below was taking

Get Well Soon, Ekky!

2007-02-10T14:33:00.000+08:00

Hey Ekky, get well soon! Glad the operation went well...I'm waiting for you here in the hospital room and I thought I'd surprise you with a blog entry! :) hehehe!From Hoops & Yoyo: "Get Welllll Soooooooooooooon!!!!!!!"image courtesy of hoopsandyoyo.com

Flicker Flash Slideshow!

2007-02-08T00:59:00.000+08:00

A nice way to share your Flickr photos to your website or blog - use Flash slideshow! Here's an example of a slideshow from my latest uploaded photos....dtop,.dbottom{display:block;background: #4c4c4c /* <- change the color of the corners here */ } .dtop b,.dbottom b{display:block; height:1px;overflow:hidden; background:#000} .d1{margin:0 5px} .d2{margin:0 3px} .d3{margin:0 2px} .dtop .d4,.

It's Time - Jordan XX2

2007-02-02T11:42:00.000+08:00

Teaser for the new Jordan XX2 Basketball shoe courtesy of jumpman23.com...IT'S TIME 02/17/07

Melo: Going Vegas for All Star 07! (Updated)

2007-02-02T11:32:00.000+08:00

Melo - Not an All Star in 07Ugh - can't believe it. Melo didn't make it to the NBA All-Star this year. As the NBA's leading scorer, I think that would have increased his chances this year. Of course, we all know that the West has a lot of powerful forwards, and maybe that's why it's tough for him to be picked. But maybe the fact that he was in a brawl this year was a big factor on why he didn't

iPod Shuffles - Put some color on!

2007-01-31T09:39:00.001+08:00

Apple released multi-colored iPod Shuffles today. Colors are pink, green, blue and orange.(Image courtesy of apple.com)

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v1.0 is here!

2007-01-30T00:28:00.000+08:00

My heart stopped for a few seconds when I opened Scott Kelby's blog and saw that version 1.0 of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has been announced. To be honest, I have not been excited about a software launch ever except for this one!Some of my favorite new features are: stacking of similar pictures together tools for removing spots/dust from photos having virtual copies of a photoOne thing that I

Dinagyang 2007 - Hala Bira!

2007-01-29T01:17:00.000+08:00

January 28. 2007Iloilo CityPosting my shots from the Dinagyang 2007 festival at Iloilo...had to switch lenses several times, but I ended up using my new 85mm lens for most of the shots. It was a fun experience (despite the heat), and I got to meet a lot of fellow photographers. See you guys next year!And, here's a picture of me, Michael, Arnel, Jake and Malvar... (from Jake's flickr)More pictures

My New Lens - 85mm!

2007-01-22T16:01:00.000+08:00

I finally bought a new lens last Friday! It's the Canon 85mm f/1.8. Here are some pictures courtesy of www.photozone.de. I couldn't afford the f/1.2 L version, so I just got this. Can't wait to shoot Dinagyang this weekend with this lens. Keep you posted on the photos I will get!Btw - small world. I bought this lens from a fellow Ilonggo who also graduated from Sta. Maria, same high school I went

Mike Pangs & Pia's On-site Video

2007-01-18T16:20:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the late post.I actually saw this link a couple of weeks ago from Jason Magbanua's website. This is one of those videos that really captured the emotions of Mike & Pia during their wedding, and I'm sure everyone who saw the video during the wedding was touched by this. Enjoy the movie!Links:Jason's blog entry for DecemberMike & Pia's on-site video: http://myweddingvid.com/videos/

World Pyro Olympics - Team Philippines

2007-01-15T12:49:00.000+08:00

World Pyro Olympics 2007Jan 13, 2007More pictures from last weekend's shoot. Click on the pictures to see a higher resolution version of the pictures. Also posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_laoEkky - thanks for being there and enduring our trip to Hidalgo for me to get the Canon Remote Switch! Hahaha!Enjoy!

World Pyro Olympics - Team China

2007-01-15T12:43:00.000+08:00

World Pyro Olympics 2007Jan 13, 2007My first ever successful fireworks shoot! It was pretty scary at first because I wasn't sure if I was prepared to shoot fireworks. Thanks to the people I met on site - Mon, Lloyd and Lino, I got to compare shots with them. Thanks to Tep for lending me his tripod. Tep - you need to have a ballhead! :)Click on the pictures to see a higher resolution version of

Pet & Trixie

2007-01-05T00:39:00.000+08:00

October 6, 2006Christ the KingLe SoufflePet & Trixie, sorry for the late post. Enjoy the pictures!

Mike & Pia

2007-01-04T23:49:00.000+08:00

December 29, 2006Nuestra Senora de Gracia ChurchWack Wack Golf & Country ClubCongratulations to Mike & Pia Panganiban! Enjoy your honeymoon in Bali! It was a very nice and heartwarming ceremony. I hope I captured some of the memories from that memorable day here...

Darkroom Magazine - The New Lightroom Magazine

2007-01-04T23:11:00.000+08:00

Announcing the new Darkroom Magazine!From Scott Kelby's blog - they're launching a new magazine called Darkroom. This magazine will focus on how Lightroom works with Photoshop CS2/CS3. Can't wait to read the magazine!More info on: DarkroomMagazine.com

New Year, New Photos!

2007-01-04T14:58:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Wanted to share some new year pictures taken from home...

Happy New Year!!!

2006-12-31T13:55:00.000+08:00

Here's to wishing everyone a wonderful new year! Hope you all had a memorable year 2006. It's time to welcome 007!

Adobe CS3 Icons - Periodic Table of Elements?

2006-12-15T19:06:00.000+08:00

Can't help myself - had to take screen shots of the new icons from the Beta version of CS3! They look like the periodic table of elements. So, what elements are Ps and Br?Icons (from left to right): Photoshop CS3, Bridge CS3, Stock Photos CS3.ps - thanks to ekky for pointing this out! ;)

Photoshop CS3 1st Public Beta Out!!!

2006-12-15T14:10:00.000+08:00

Alright alright, it's not yet the final version, but I'm excited to see the beta version! It's available for download at Adobe Labs now. I'm currently downloading it, and will post my initial reactions/observations immediately.Photoshop CS3 links:Photoshop User's CS3 Learning Section Quick Look at CS3's New Features by Scott KelbyAdobe Labs Download SiteThank you, Adobe! I have downloaded it and

My New Toy!

2006-11-27T09:39:00.000+08:00

I have been thinking of getting a new lens and I finally did get a new one last Saturday! It wasn't an easy choice because I went over my budget. But then, people said it's a good investment.So, what did I get? Ta-nan....it's the Canon 17-40 f4 L lens! They said it's a good walkaround lens and I kinda like the wide-angle coverage. Other options I had in mind were:Tamron 17-50mm f.28Canon 24-70mm

A Bit of Photoshop History...

2006-11-22T09:46:00.000+08:00

John Nack (from Adobe) posted a link to all splash screens of Photoshop. It's nice to remember how long you've been using this application just by looking at the screens. Here's a link:http://photoshopnews.com/feature-stories/photoshop-splash-screens/Other things that you might want to see:- photoshop icons: http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/images/ps-icon-history.gif- photoshop toolbars: http://

Krispy Kremes in Manila!

2006-11-21T09:32:00.000+08:00

For those of you excited to taste Krispy Kremes in Manila, we got free samples last Saturday at Hobbes, Greenbelt 3. I don't know if they still have it, but it doesn't hurt to try it out.Krispy Kreme opens on Nov 30 at the Fort. Hobbes has a store beside them that's why they're promoting Krispy Kreme.Btw, treats are in store for the 1st customer to ring the cash register: a 1 year supply of

PAC-MAN!!!

2006-11-21T09:28:00.000+08:00

Congratulations, Manny 'PACMAN' Pacquiao!

kuler - new from Adobe Labs!

2006-11-17T20:49:00.000+08:00

Checkout http://kuler.adobe.com/ ! It's new from Adobe Labs.With Kuler, you can browse, create and share color themes for your web pages and other design/creative projects. You can then download the theme and use them with Adobe Creative Suite 2 apps!You need to have an Adobe ID/Account to create your own. It has a nice interface and it's very very simple to use. It even gives you the RGB

Lightroom Killer Tips!

2006-11-15T19:28:00.000+08:00

For those of you using the new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, check out this new site from Matt Kloskowski called the Adobe Lightroom Killer Tips!It's a videocast and you can subscribe it in iTunes or view the videos from the site itself.Go check it out! I downloaded it immediately when I found out about it. Also, if you haven't done it yet, go download Adobe Lightroom now for free!

Aperture 1.5 Trial Version

2006-11-03T20:21:00.000+08:00

Big update from Apple - they made a trial version of Aperture available to everyone! Is this a move to compete with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom? I think so. Lightroom is offered for free (since it's still in beta), and this is the only way for Apple to attract more photographers to use their product.My initial impressions - Lightroom is very simple to use and light on the machine. Aperture requires

the BTT guy!

2006-11-03T14:03:00.001+08:00

sunset and BTTOriginally uploaded by stephan_alba. A very very nice sunset silhouette by Stephan... bonus points to those who can guess who the person is and what he is doing... hahaha!

Boom Tarat Tarat!

2006-10-30T13:37:00.000+08:00

In our recent Boracay Trip, Boom Tarat Tarat was one of our sources of entertainment as this was performed by Dan and PJ while walking in the beach.For those of you who do not know what this is, this is a catchy song/dance performed in Wowowee. The best performer/dancer for this song is then chosen as the 'Bigatin' and has the chance to win prizes in the show.For those with good imagination, here

2 for the road - new MacBook Pros!

2006-10-25T19:54:00.000+08:00

(Oct 25) Apple just announced new MacBook Pros featuring the Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Compared to their first release of the mac book pros last January, everything else is the same except for the items below:New Specs:Intel Core 2 Duo Processors (4MB of shared L2 cache compared to 2MB) 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (default RAM for the $1,999 model) 120 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive Slot-load 6x

TV Shows, tv shows, tv shows...

2006-10-23T18:25:00.000+08:00

As an addict of tv shows, here's what I have been watching lately...Returnees (my top shows):Grey's Anatomy Prison BreakLostDesperate HousewivesHouse, MDNew Shows:Studio 60 On The SunsetThe NineOther shows that keep me busy are:CSI (NY, Vegas, Miami)The UnitNumb3rsBlade the Series -> season 1 has ended; can't wait for season 2!Go to www.tv.com for more details on these shows.

Check out my Photos!

2006-10-20T19:17:00.000+08:00

Check out my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_lao/setsI will be updating that soon with new pictures from the following events:- Pet & Trixie's Wedding- Boracay TripWatch out for it!

Starting Out in Digital Photography

2006-10-18T11:00:00.000+08:00

In the past couple of months, I've been a student of photography. Yes, I was finally bought another new gadget last July - a digital SLR! I got enticed by Stephan's Canon EOS 350d so I got one for myself.Anyway, here are a few sites that have helped me so far...1. Photoshop TV -> http://www.photoshoptv.comSubscribe to their videocast if you can! Their episodes are pretty amusing (c/o Scott Kelby

My First Ever Blog Post!

2006-09-25T20:13:00.000+08:00

Finally! I can't believe it - I am blogging! I have thought about doing this for the longest time but I just haven't had the time to do so. Good luck to me and whatever I'll be writing here! Hahaha!