Category

Photography

Photography

International Recognition

I am proud to announce that one of my photos from a safari in South Africa was actually nominated for a prestigious award. Although I did not win outright, it truly is an honour to be noticed on the global stage of other great photographers.

The photo above entitled “Springboks” gazing was taken at Inverdoorn Game Reserve and was included in the International  Color Awards’ Photography Masters Cup nomination round up in the Wildlife category.

Stay tuned to see what happens in my creative endeavours throughout 2013 and beyond!

Inspirational, Photography, Travels

Beautiful and Emerging Rio

Rio de Janiero is one of the major cities in Brazil and happens to have a lot of global events on it’s plate in the next few years. The Catholic World Youth Day celebration this July, the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and of course the Olympic games in 2016. With millions of tourist coming from all over the world, it is no wonder why this location is one of the fastest growing cities on Earth.

First of all, there are many beautiful things about Rio. There are very touristy things to do and many not so touristy things to do. I feel that explored a good mix of both. However, one thing that I did notice that was completely opposite from what I was reading online and friends is regarding safety. I was probably reading reviews from 2006  or something because despite what many said, I felt pretty darn safe during my time in Rio, even with my camera hanging from my shoulder the entire time. People need to realize that this city is going to be home of some of the biggest international events ever and that the government is going to do everything it can to give the city a safe and fun reputation prior. So, I am going to do my part right now and tell you that Rio de Janeiro is a safe place to visit, especially right now.

When thinking of Rio, many immediately think about one of the seven made man wonders of the world, Christ the Redeemer or Cristo Redentor in Portuguese. Oh yeah, did I mention that Brazilians are super proud of their Portuguese language and culture over Spanish like the rest of South America? They are kind of like what Quebec is to the rest of Canada. Anyways, it sounds absolutely lovely when spoken. Back to the large statue of Jesus. I was told early on that the photos I saw on the internet aren’t necessarily the most frequently observed views in real life. More so to my case right during the summer storm season, a full view clear shot of the wonder was about a 50/50 chance. And to my luck, it was completely covered in clouds on my first day and attempt there. However, being able to see a gigantic shadow in the mist was pretty breathtaking as well.

My photo-op with Christ would have to wait another day. I took to the streets of a neighborhood called Santa Teresa, just a little East of the big city. It was once a high-end place to live but in the last few years, it has transformed into a thriving and lively place for local artists and young travelers. I could definitely see why on immediate arrival. Everything was locked and closed! Apparently 8 AM is way too early for those locals and I found out that things really pick up in the afternoon. Oh well, so I decided to just go for a nice stroll. I was informed that following the rails on the road would ensure a higher chance of safety, so I followed suit for the most part. Lots of color and graffiti work by locals can be enjoyed on almost every wall. The neighborhood consists of a lot of winding roads and hills that take you up and down. There is a very strong bohemian vibe going on as well. But this all made for a very enjoyable walk without too much distraction.

Later on in the day, the artists and restaurants opened up shop. I had one of the most amazing cod fish and rice dishes I ever had at a place called Sobrenatural (Super Natural). They specialize in great seafood and I absolutely loved it. Besides the amazing cuisine, the other great thing about this place is it’s location. This restaurant is right beside the tram rails. Another magical moment was when a light spread of rain started to drizzle down making the colors of the neighborhood pop and become saturated even more.

To view my full photo gallery of Rio de Janeiro, please click here.

Photography, Technology

What I brought to South America

Hey everyone. This is just a quick vlog post regarding the camera gear I brought with me to South America. I used the ThinkTank Streetwalker Harddrive to store all of my Nikkor lenses and body.

Overall, out of all the bags I have ever used, the Streetwalker HD is one of the best I have ever brought with me. It is primarily ideal for “big” extended travels. It is slightly on the larger side of bags though. If you are an actual street photographer who wants to be ultra discreet, then this is not really for you. Most likely, you would want something smaller such as the ThinkTank Retrospective 30 or even the Speed Racer 2.0.

For the my trip, I plan on using the Streetwalker HD to physically get all of my main gear to a location and then use a smaller shoulder bag for the gear I will be actually using that day.

Photography, Travels

Happy New Year, NEW Image Gallery and South America

Photo taken by Sean Chin at www.SeanChin.com.

Taken at “Songs of the Sea” performance in Sentosa, Singapore in 2007.

First of all, let me just say Happy New Year! I hope all of you have a fantastic 2013.

I want to take this moment to give you all a little gift from myself. Over the last 3 months, I have been secretly and feverishly been going through my entire photographic archive since 2005 and re-mastering all of my favorite images. This portfolio includes four main categories: travels, concerts, special events and sports. I really hope that you take some time to go through it and please do leave me some comments as I enjoy reading your feedback and constructive criticism. For the longest time, I’ve been tired and sick of using “social” sharing portfolios such as Smugmug, Zenfolio, Flickr just to name a few. There are just way too many privacy, pricing and copyright insecurities that I no longer have the patience to worry about. After many hours of research, I stumbled upon an amazing new platform called Piwigo. It is a software that you can install on your own server, which means that I am in full control of my work. I never have to worry about a company like Flickr closing down and then losing all of my comments.

As many of my readers know, I LOVE traveling and plan to continue my bucket list of exploring all seven continents before I am 30. In just a few weeks, I will be leaving on a journey to South America. More specifically, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina and Peru. I really look forward to visiting Rio, Iguazu Falls and of course Machu Picchu. In the next week, I will be writing a “what’s in my bag” featuring what gear I’ll be carrying for this trip.

Again, all the best in 2013!

Update December 9, 2013: I am now using the “New Smugmug”. Many of the photographers I follow use the new service with great pleasure. So, I decided to take the plunge along with the Black Friday 40% off discount for the year. 

Update January 3, 2013: Many thanks to Pierrick Le Gall, creator of Piwigo, for working directly working one on one with me for the last few days to customize my image gallery!

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