Searching for the Perfect Shot...

It turned out to be a rather stressful and exhausting long weekend as I searched tirelessly for the perfect weather condition to photograph clouds and sunsets in downtown Chicago.  Obviously, I did not get what I was searching for because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time!!! 

However, thankfully, I got a few acceptable images of the Buckingham Fountain. 

The Inspiration

Today is the last day of my photography class.  For those of you who know my work schedule and my general attitude toward classrooms and pure academics, you know that I've made a huge commitment to sign up for this class.  I literally spent 6+ hours each Saturday for the past 16 weeks to complete this course.  On top of the classes, I had to write 3 unit paper and do a final project involving 17-20 images.

Yes, I learned HDR, I learned Hyperfocal Focusing, I learned Composition, I learned Photo Impressionism, I learned Flash Photography techniques, I learned Wildlife Photography and Macro Photography and much, much more.  Am I a better photographer today than I was 16 weeks ago?  I don't know.  Will I become a much better photographer because of this class?  I don't know.  At this point, I don't believe those are the important questions to answer.  However, I do know that through this class, through the people I meet in this class, I have learned so much more than just the Photography.  It's the people I encounter, their passion, devotion, and their ability to learn and to live a fulfilled life that inspire me the most.

For the last 3 sessions, I had two instructors who taught me Macro Photography.  Barb is 84 this year, Ruth is approaching 80.  They are two of the most prominent macro photographers in the Chicago area.  Barb did not start learning photography until after her retirement.  At age 60, when she signed up for her first photography class, the professor told her that she should take a high school photography class to learn how to load films into the camera...  and so she did.

Twenty-four year later, today, when she showed me a collection of the flower images she took, I was speechless – the photographs are just exceptional.  She showed me how to combine images in Photoshop, she showed me how to create star-tracks in the sky and then overlay it onto another image in Photoshop, she showed me how to edit parts of the image in Photoshop so that the entire photograph can be sharp throughout... She told me she attended Tony Sweet's photography workshop last year at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at age 83, she told me she couldn't wait to read Tony Sweet's book about iPhone Photography, she told me she is not buying iPhone4 right now because she has solid reasons to believe that iPhone5 has a much better camera...  

Okay, just close your eyes and imagine for a minute -- what would it take for an 84 year-old lady to keep up with all the camera technology and photography software applications and the future?!  How could she do it?  Well, it is her unending curiosity and innate desire to learn, isn't it?  Somewhere down the road, she must also have the courage to start a whole new career at age 60 and be willing to do whatever it takes to become one of the best in that field.  Just think about it -- if this is not inspiring, what is?

 

Digital, 1st Place

The club year is finally coming to an end (Sept 2010 to April 2011).  After all the hard work and the near death experiences, this is what I got. 

  

Mayslake Nature Study and Photography Club

Digital, 1st Place

Class C

 

 

 

Bisti Badlands, New Mexico

It was about 2 weeks ago when I went to New Mexico with my friends.  The experience was quite dramatic, and for the first time, I realized that I was not built for the true wilderness...  

Photographs also communicate to us of the time spent by the photographer: time spent on the journey to the point at which the image was made.  -- David Ward

Celebrating Life

My friends told me that on the 40th day after the person's passing, there should be a celebration of that person's life.  It's been 40 days since Mom passed away on 2/22/11 at 9:42 PM.  Looking back, Mom lived a long, fulfilled and enjoyable life:   

1.  She was a wonderful Mother and a loving Grandma.

2.  She was an accomplished doctor and was deeply loved and respected by her patients and colleagues.

3.  Throughout all my life, no matter when and where, she never failed to give me guidance and advice.  She was a wise lady and a great friend.

4.  She made significant sacrifices for me to have a successful life in a foreign country.

5.  She was very progressive, and I believe that her open mind, optimism, curiosity and persistence had brought her all the success in life.

6.  She loved life and truly understood how to enjoy it fully.  She had brought so much joy to her family and friends. 

Mom will always be loved and missed.


                                       December 2007 in Naperville, IL

November 2010 in Beijing, China

梦中的记忆

Memories in My Dreams                               Memories in My Dreams

Lake Marmo, IL                                            Love - Dedicated to My Mom

Letter to Mom

Dear Mom,

I have not written a letter to you in such a long time.  We were so used to talking on the phone every week when I told you everything about Michelle, about my family, myself, my job and my love in photography. 

It’s been two weeks since I talked to the doctor who treated you at the ICU.  He told me that you suffered a brain-stem hemorrhage, a condition with an extremely low survival rate.  I was in absolute disbelieve, and still am…

I remember when I was little, each night before I went to bed, I would always say: “Bye-bye, Mama, travel safe and come home early (妈妈再见, 一路平安，早点回来).”  You would smile back and then kiss my little forehead – it was so sweet and satisfying…  I remember the summer days when all the other kids were playing outside, Tang Ming and I would wash our balcony with water and wait for you to come home to have special dinners with us.  After dinner, we would lay down on our balcony and play games – that’s when I learned the word “fun.” I remember how happy I was to wait for you at the balcony each afternoon.  Once I see you walking home from far away, I would call you with my loudest voice, then rush downstairs, run to the street and run to you… I remember the night before each holiday, after going to bed, I would call you and remind you to wash my “little red guard” symbol for me to wear the next day – I always fell asleep quickly after you reassured me that everything would be in good order for “tomorrow.”  Mom, today, I want to tell you that it is the love and reassurance you have given me throughout the years that makes me so strong and confident.

I still remember vividly that when I was in first grade, you told me to study hard and go to college when I grow up.  I did not even know what “college” meant at the time, but you told me to just remember that “I need to go to college.”  I memorized it at age 6.  When my classmate’s parents asked me what I would do when I grew up, I said “I need to go to college.”  They were terrified, because during the Cultural Revolution, no one was allowed to think about going to college or pursuing academics.  They told me to never repeat what I said again.  I nodded, but deep in my heart, I knew “I need to go to college.”

In my seventh grade, right after the Cultural Revolution, you taught me the importance of learning English.  I was skeptical and did not see the need for a proud Chinese to learn any language other than Chinese. I clearly remember what you said – foreign language is the tool for you to open the window to the foreign world.  After 33 years, today, I am still humbled by your wisdom.      

Looking back, it’s been 23 years since I came to this foreign land.  I have shared with you every little progress I made over the years.  Mom, as I think back and look forward, I know deeply that I would not have been who I am today without your tremendous sacrifice. Please know that I understand the painful price you’ve paid for us to have a better life.  I will forever be thankful for that!

Mom, you left me so suddenly that I did not even have a chance to tell you everything I wanted to tell you –

Thank you for showing me what love really is.  Thank you for helping me see beauty and sunshine in life.  Thank you for teaching me the meaning of kindness, tolerance, optimism, persistence and strength.  Thank you for always keeping an open mind and a young heart – it’s comforting to remember that you never lost interest in exploring new things in life, even at age 85.  You enjoyed your life fully and had accomplished everything you wanted to accomplish. 

I love you, Mom, as always.  妈妈再见, 一路平安.

Your Little Tang Pei (你的小汤培)