3 Feb 2011
November 2010 – San Francisco, USA
If you ever go there, NEVER EVER go to the first shop after the arch on the right. I was looking for a new camera. Namely the 7D. There are a lot of camera shop in SF and although I read online that it is not a good idea to buy there, I still wanted to have an idea of what deal I could get… I walked in, ask how much they sold the 7D, the guy tells me $800!!! half price of what it normally costs… huh ok… interesting… but a bit suspicious… I ask if he has any accessories, etc… the guy keep insisting that I should buy the camera and doesn’t answer any of my questions… then suddenly he starts to speak in spanish!?!?! what?!?! I ask if he is speaking to me in Spanish and why?? the guy carries on, then all I can understand is: but you speak Spanish right? IRS?
I repeat “IRS what?”
Then he switches back in Englsih and asks if I am to buy the camera…
huh… what just happened??
I ask how much it would cost if I was to pay cash and then he tells me… 30% less…
What?!!
I ask him to repeat, did he say 30%? 3-0?
Yes he says…
whoooaaa thats a big discount…
I ask him then how much exactly it means he is selling it too me…
he mumbles something… I ask him to repeat..
he said: do it in your head…
do it in my head??? huh… right… I play along…
I tell him it will be a bit difficult to calculate 30% of 800 right now, can he just tell me?
and he finally say: just buy a calculator…
Doh…
at that point, I had enough, couldn’t play anymore, I just laugth and told him farewell and good luck for finding any customers willing to buy in his… shop!
Amazing… I never ever met vendors so rude than in SF camera shops!! cos although this was the worse incident, other shops were similar, where as soon as you get in they want to sell you the camera and DO NOT! HO NO!! DO NOT DARE ASKING QUESTIONS!!!
Regardless of their rudeness those shops are VERY dodgy and I wonder how they are allowed to operate!
26 Jan 2011
November 2010 – San Francisco, USA
This is a photo of one of the cables that hold the Golden Gate Bridge, thousands of small cable to make a big strong one. It reminded me of a bee hives, the only difficulty with this photo was to be able to avoid getting every other tourists shadows who were circling me!
25 Jan 2011
November 2010 – San Francisco, USA
I am not sure what bird this is, but it was hidding in this tree and as he came out a ray of light was just lighting his feet and part of his body. I liked that sharp contrast and I don’t mind his face is still quite dark, I feel you can just see enough to give it a bit of mistery ;)
I also liked the fact the branch of the tree is pointing in the same direction as the bird gaze.
24 Jan 2011
November 2010 – San Francisco, USA
This tower apparently was quite controversial when it was fist build, it is now a SF landmark. This is my favorite shot of it because I aligned the external staircase so it gives the impression they are part of the tower.
19 Jan 2011
November 2010 – San Francisco, USA
This shot was taken from the Golden Gate Bridge, that fishing boat was going in the direction of Alcatraz. i liked the openess of the sea and small curved line the boat had made. highlighting even more all the way he had to go, wherever that was!
17 Jan 2011
November 2010 – San Francisco, USA
As I was playing with backlight photography as the sun was going down that side of the bridge I initially didn’t see that boat. I was busy trying to take photos of the large bridge cable against the sun, as I was reviewing the photos I was taking I noticed a smudge in a few of them… earlier that day I ruined quite a few photos because of a dirty lense… Annoyed I zoomed in the LCD photo and it looked like… a ship… you couldn’t actually see it with naked eyes, it was too misty and bridge with the sun right in your face… but with the right zoom lens and shutter speed, this is what you could see :)
6 Jul 2009
July 2007 – San Diego, California, USA
This photo was taken a few hours after my plane took off from San Diego to London. We flew other a magnificient desert!
5 Jul 2009
July 2007 – San Diego, California, USA
What I wanted was to take a photo with each of the bird deploying their wings at different stages… I almost got that right apart from the top left one! oh well… good enough for me :)
2 Jul 2009
July 2007 – San Diego, California, USA
San Diego is one of my favorite place in the world. I love the place, the people and the weather! It is like LA but with nicer real people and even more beautiful! A storm was coming when I took that photo…
29 Jan 2009
September 2007 – San Diego, California, USA
I was lucky enough to have to go to San Diego twice that year for work. This photo was actually taken as I was leaving San Diego for London. There was a sea of cloud coming to the town and this shot is where the invasion started!
25 Nov 2008
September 2007, San Diego, USA
At the end of a sunny day I walked in a very nice park to the beach. On my way I noticed those air ballons in the sky, they were quite a few of them and all I had was a small compact camera…
24 Nov 2008
September 2007, San Diego, USA
On my way from Vancouver to San Diego I was lucky enoguh to look through the plane window at the right time to notice this industrial cloud in the distance. Again, this is the kind of photo you need to se full screen/resolution to truely appreciate it. But I just like the fact you could see those clouds coming up in the empty sky.
