Photography

Besides creating things, I also like capture moments in life. You can find my online galleries on both Instagram and 500px.com.

catalium

After learning from NOAA that there would be a Kp-

After learning from NOAA that there would be a Kp-7 northern lights event in northern Washington, and with clouds approaching the city, we decided to head to central Washington for a clearer view.

The drive was worth it. The aurora we saw on October 10th, 2024, was similar to the one we experienced back in May. The high elevation provided us with clear, panoramic views of the light show.

Enjoy!

#aurora #washington #astrophoto #astronomy #astrophotography
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If you want to track the incoming aurora borealis, visit: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental

Had a literal “blast” at the 75th Seafair Airs

Had a literal “blast” at the 75th Seafair Airshow!

For the first time ever, the 2024 Seafair Airshow offered the Walk Down viewing experience at Boeing Field. In previous years, I watched the Blue Angels perform in the sky above me. This time, I could watch the action up close on the ramp, shake hands with the pilots, and get autographs from them!

#blueangels #seafair #seattle #airshow #navy #airshow #fa18

I didn’t pay attention shooting videos during th

I didn’t pay attention shooting videos during the aurora watching. But this thing has to be watched animated. The clip plays at 35x of real world speed. At original speed, it was smooth and elegant.

Now I know how to shoot a better video for such events. My future astronomy video won’t jitter like this.😅

#auroraborealis #seattle #pacificnorthwest #astronomyphotography

What is photography to you? Is it a method to hone

What is photography to you? Is it a method to honestly document what your eyes see, a tool to augment your bio-sensing capabilities, or simply a means of self-expression?

Friday midnight, I watched the strong Aurora Borealis, a rare sight in the Seattle area. To the naked eye, it appeared in pale green and purple, flashing and dancing like a cuttlefish.

However, through the phone or camera display, the details were more pronounced, and the colors were more vivid. With a wide-open aperture and high sensitivity, a two-second exposure offers a completely different level of sensation.

Most people‘s photos of the Aurora are more vibrant than what the eye perceives. This is similar to space telescope photos from NASA — the raw photos are grayscale maps of different wavelengths, and artists render them to be more consumable and attractive.

What’s your preference?

P.S., I find Instagram unfriendly to portrait photos. It limits the height of a photo, not even accommodating a standard 2:3 ratio. Hence, I omit a few vertical shots here. Threads seems to be a better place for professional photographers.

#aurora #northernlights #seattlephotographer #nightsky #naturephotography #seattle #astrophoto #sky #space #longexposure #aurorahunters #nightphotography

A bachelor visited Bachelor. Had a great time ski

A bachelor visited Bachelor.

Had a great time skiing at @mtbachelor last weekend. Compared to home mountains like Crystal or Snoqualmie Summit, Bachelor is different in many ways: it’s vast, it’s high, and, most appealing to me, the runs are wide and well-groomed—perfect for practicing carving.

The 9,068 ft summit offers a unique experience: a 360º view as far as Washington and California. The aesthetics at the top are otherworldly and breathtaking.

There are always mountains beyond mountains. Although the 23/24 season is wrapped up, I’m hoping to explore more mountains in the next one.

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These are HDR photos, if you find the exposure unreasonably high, it might be compatibility issues related to your device or browser. iPhone 11 and later should be fine.

#skiing #endofseason #mtbachelor #oregon #skipacificnorthwest #pnw #volcano #white #alpine #bendoregon

What’s more pleasant than gliding through the fo

What’s more pleasant than gliding through the forest on a snowy day?

#asmr #snow #powder #skiing

This is what I saw when I woke up after a night of

This is what I saw when I woke up after a night of storm. The new snow glittered under the sun. The unique experience of camping at high ground in the Enchantments Core Zone is that when you look straight ahead, there is only sky—no trees or mountains, as if you were on top of the world. I can’t believe it’s been a month since I came back!

#backpacking #pnwwonderland #leavenworth #wilderness #hdr #morning #snow #alpine #larch

Had a breezy ride this afternoon and stopped by th

Had a breezy ride this afternoon and stopped by this scene at an underpass. Offered to take a picture for the duo, but the gentleman declined, saying, “This is just our first date.” I replied, “Good luck to you guys.” #sammamishrivertrail #roadcycling #shadow #afternoon

Come back to see how Instagram's compression ruins

Come back to see how Instagram's compression ruins my riding footage🚴. Full experience here: https://youtu.be/_bwRv2WY3G0

Discover 25 Fish Species (and a Labrador!) at Hana

Discover 25 Fish Species (and a Labrador!) at Hanauma Bay, Kaneohe Bay & Waikiki Beach

Last November, I went for a trip in Oahu, Hawaii. I encountered a diverse range of fish species while snorkeling and swimming at Hanauma Bay, Kaneohe Bay, and Waikiki Beach. I've identified 25 different species (plus a Labrador) and provided their English and Hawaiian names for your discovery experience.

Hanauma Bay is a fantastic snorkeling destination. However, remember to reserve a spot early, as tickets sell out quickly. I also recommend visiting during high tide in the morning – at high tide, you'll have ample space to move without worrying about scratching yourself on the reef, and in the morning, you'll find more fish in the area.

Kaneohe Bay is an excellent spot for viewing sea turtles and exploring the coral reef ecosystem. Plan your visit for a day with calm waters; when I went, the strong current made visibility less than ideal.

Waikiki Beach was a pleasant surprise – I didn't expect to see so many fish in the urban area. Beyond the water break, I found fish species similar to those at Hanauma Bay. Inside the water break, I discovered a school of Flagtail fish, which was great fun to chase – I felt like a hungry seal!

For the best experience, I recommend watching this video on an 4K HDR TV or display, for phones, iPhones 12 or newer are better.

You may find the 4K HDR full experience on my Youtube channel “Roll & Glide”: https://youtu.be/x_R8pDDrmJQ

#hawaii #oahu #hanaumabay #kaneohe #kaneohesandbar #waikiki #snorkeling #swimming #tropicalfish #underwater #underwaterphotography #gopro #hdr #10bit

My last night run at @summitatsnoqualmie in the 22

My last night run at @summitatsnoqualmie in the 22/23 season. Really like #skiing in the #twilight color.

The fastest run of SPD11 beat SPD10's best by 30%. The process of learning a new skill feels so good, you can always do better next time.

Sorry for the excessive shake, the slope was icy and super bumpy.

Background music: Night Snow, by @asherfulero.

Day 10 Ski Practice: 14K ft descent, seamless & ef

Day 10 Ski Practice: 14K ft descent, seamless & efficient! ⛷️ 20% speed boost, mastering the turn by season's end. 4 rides to go! 🏔️✨ #bethenewversionofyou

I’m jealous of the Hawaiian teens. They have the

I’m jealous of the Hawaiian teens. They have the most luxurious backyard to play.

Every day I could see many youngsters jump from the 10-ft pier into the turquoise water, fearless of the reef under the shallow water. They have a technique to avoid hitting the rock—jump when the peak of a wave comes. The boy in the second pic was 13, standing on his shortboard. Later I learned that a shortboard is very tricky to handle. Maybe we will see him in pro competitions very soon?

#Surfer #Hawaii #Waikiki

The most unexpected joy came when I swam at Waikik

The most unexpected joy came when I swam at Waikiki Beach. Near the breakwater, I encountered a swarm of Hawaiian flagtails.

It’s literally a wall of fish in front of me. The instant feeling was overwhelming, panic, then curious, then exhilarating. I started to chase them. They diverged and converged like an orchestrated dance.

Suddenly I recalled the scene of seals hunting a shoal. I played with them until the sun was almost set. Simply love it.

#hawaii #Waikiki #GoPro11 #underwater

Before COVID-19, Hanauma Bay hosted about 3,000 vi

Before COVID-19, Hanauma Bay hosted about 3,000 visitors daily, which was quite a heavy burden for the small area. The local authority closed the Bay for 8 months during the pandemic. It implemented a 720-visitor per day cap when it reopened. I read reviews saying the change has visibly rehabilitated marine life.

I didn't visit the place at its prime hour (7 am), but I still managed to see various fishes.

The fun part of the experience? Annotating fish species in photos and videos using fish identification cards—the last time I did that on a large scale was in kindergarten.

#hawaii #hanaumabay #gopro11 #underwaterphotography

Bootcamp Trail at Duthie Hill MTB Park, Issaquah,

Bootcamp Trail at Duthie Hill MTB Park, Issaquah, WA

Rode in a cloudy afternoon two hours before the sunset. It's dark in the woods, please forgive the blurry footage. A few spots got slippery leaves, overall an easy ride.

Reviewing the footage, I realized I'm 30% slower than when I was a teenager. My tolerance for speed are also gone. I used to ride to school at 35 mph, now even 15 mph feels fast. 🤦🏻‍♂️

This video was created in HDR format, please let me know if it works on your phone (starting from iPhone 12).

Background music: Broken • Patrick Patrikios

#mtb #duthiehill #fall #hdr

Came back home, found a tiny fallen leaf sticking

Came back home, found a tiny fallen leaf sticking on my car with the help of the long-waited rain drops. The burning dry mountains finally quenched their thirst, and the late rain season finally has come.
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#shotoniphone6 #shotoniphone #highcontrast #fallenleaves

Had a nice ride at the MTB park this afternoon. Th

Had a nice ride at the MTB park this afternoon. The gradings of the trails were underrated. IMHO The 🟢Green Lane is actually 🔵Blue, and the Blues are ⚫️Blacks.

Trail conditions: As the newest MTB trails near Seattle, the dirt is powder-ish, cast with lots of sharp gravel. I met a guy who had a flat tire and claimed he had seen at least 10 riders have the same issue.

Anyway, a hyper-focused ride. Surprised they are wrapping up this year's operation next weekend. Will prob get an MTB season pass next year?

#mtb #snoqualmiepass

On Alltrails.com, it’s rated as hard. It is even

On Alltrails.com, it’s rated as hard. It is even more challenging than rated as a significant portion of the trail is still covered by deep snow today. We spent 12 hours on (and off?) the trail. About 1+ hours were used dealing with off-trail issues.

I noticed several fellow hikers bailed out due to the fear of the last pitch. Even though it was only a few hundred feet away from the destination.

The trip reminds me of a travel note from Wang Anshi (a Chancellor of China’s Song Dynasty) in 1054 AD. “The world’s most extraordinary scenes are at places demanding hardship & perils for a visit. Yet, without strong willingness, common folks won’t make it.”

I used to have 100 reasons to love Pacific Northwest. Now I have 101.

Encountered a group of kids in the abandoned WW2 f

Encountered a group of kids in the abandoned WW2 fort. They played a game to escape from the confined and dark room to the outside.

Realizing none of them can climb to the window by themselves, they lifted each other to the opening. They were so happy when the first kid made it.

#teamwork #escape #freedom #brightness

Couple kayaking at the Union Bay Reach. The lily p

Couple kayaking at the Union Bay Reach. The lily pads look like jellyfish, or stars? I took the photo yesterday en route back home by bike—how many moments like this have we missed while driving cars?

BTW, I feel riding an MTB in the city consumes 30% more energy than riding a road one. 😮‍💨

#kayaking #udub #lakewashington #520floatingbridge #wetlands

It’s a park you can see active people, exciting

It’s a park you can see active people, exciting dogs, flocking birds, chilling seals, and occasionally orca whales. Simply amazing.

#volleyball #beachvolleyball #silhouette #sunset #sea #seattle #goldengardenspark

It’s a luxury to view the ever vivid & dynamic P

It’s a luxury to view the ever vivid & dynamic Painted Hills under the uniformly scattered white. IMHO, it shares essence with L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

By filtering out all the details, you can have an abstract view of the Painted Hills—stories only told by the terrain.

I was the only visitor of the popular site for the two hours I stayed. It was so quiet and peaceful.

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#larcdetriomphewrapped #paintedhills #winter #snow #abstractart #oregon #snowcountry

Shape of the wind

Shape of the wind

The ride to the summit was so arduous. A true “u

The ride to the summit was so arduous. A true “uphill battle”. Didn’t expect to see Mt. Rainier there.

A beautiful day.

A beautiful day.

Second time summiting the Mailbox Peak. So fun!

Second time summiting the Mailbox Peak. So fun!

Alpine trails in Fall. #fall #mtshuksan #mtbaker

Alpine trails in Fall.

#fall #mtshuksan #mtbaker #tablemountain #hiking #saab #wagon

Hiking in rain is fun. Fewer people would hit the

Hiking in rain is fun. Fewer people would hit the road in wet, the trails which were usually heavy-trafficked get quiet. The air is washed to be refreshing. And the color of everything became more vivid.

#foliage #mtrainier

Much better maneuvering comparing with last ride.

Much better maneuvering comparing with last ride. Hopping over roots was fun!

My fav part of traveling experience is the convers

My fav part of traveling experience is the conversation with strangers. Very often, they could become new friends.

IMHO, the Oregon coast is better comparing with CA or WA—it has sunshine, trees, and vibrant towns. The first pic was taken in Pacific City earlier this week. I was lucky to catch the slim window of golden sunset.

Salute to inventors of the 20th century. The best

Salute to inventors of the 20th century. The best weapon is the one that locks the war in the cage.

Rocket and jet engine nozzles.

Rocket and jet engine nozzles.

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