Breezy Boston Christmas (with Canon 7D) from Ted Chen on Vimeo.

Yet another one that was almost lost in the void. Last Christmas, I traveled to Boston for the second time. During the first visit, I hadn’t even gotten my first DSLR. Now I’m on my 4th and diving into the world of video.

Boston was really chilly but with lots of rain instead of snow. We hardly saw anyone on the streets because of the festive period. But once in awhile we saw the occasional couple and they reminded us what Christmas was all about – love and giving.

I tried to highlight both experiences in this video, starting off with a sobbing take on the cold, deserted Boston streets, followed by a lift of mood. It was what I genuinely felt on this three-day trip as I attempted to soak in the small details rather than look at the regular sights for the second time.

Once again, the video was shot hand-held with one lens mostly (Canon’s 24-105 f4). While I do a pretty good job, I still hope to get some kind of stabilizer in the future, and hopefully improve my perspectives on story-telling. Right now I feel I don’t experiment enough, relying on my photojournalistic eyes rather than incorporate more cinematic styles of shooting. Food for thought.

Comments most welcomed.

Couple strolling along a Boston wharf

The live bidding begins on charity gala night!

This was shot back in 2009, but I had to wait for the release of Access magazine in December before I could post photos, and when the time finally did come, I had completely forgotten to do it. Now the best selects are up, and they give a good, brief recap of what happened that day.

Every year the Ann Arbor CIL hosts a charity auction for items donated by various supporters of the non-profit. Their aim is to raise money for future projects and also to keep assisting people cope with their disabilities. The cause is noble and the event is always a grandiose blast.

With hanging lights and the help of the caterers, they converted the warehouse into a large banquet hall. Almost 300 turned up for a wide selection of food, while taking part in a silent auction held in the adjacent two conference rooms. But the live bidding was the big event. Everyone cheered with every bid, and I was even floored by how willing some people were to shell out good money for a good cause.

Photographically, I found the warehouse tough to shoot because of the dim lights and the weird mixture of lighting types. My 40D (now gone) was also struggling with noise in the image but we work if what we have. Thankfully,  post-production came to the rescue. Next time, I might set up some wireless room lights to solve the noise issue, and use more primes (if money permits)!

[Show as slideshow]

Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 4, 2009: About forty students, new and old, crowd around Ulrich’s bookstore on the corner of S. University and E. University, in the hope of catching t-shirts tossed from the roof. Orientation for the incoming freshmen began on Sept. 1 and will last till Labor Day. Classes begin on Sept. 8.

This year marks the 50th anniversary since the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair began.  Thousands of residents and out-of-town visitors are strolling usually-busy streets such as Liberty, State and S. University,wading through this year’s new collections.

Paintings, fine art photography and sculptures are the most sighted pieces on sale. But even non-art related drink and souvenir tents are planted at almost every corner. Borders, Panera Bread, Red Hawk & Grill are just a few of many tents that were set up outside their actual physical stores. Some of the more unusual sights include Yoga tents and Saturn car shows.

So far, the fair has met rain and shine. Its opening Wednesday was slightly washed out in the afternoon, but Thursday saw scorching temperatures under a cloudless sky. It will run for two more days till July 18th.