Ismael Chang Ghalimi » Photography

Photography Project

Ismael Ghalimi — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:26:04 +0000

I have been doing photography for the past 20 years or so, with architecture and landscapes as primary areas of interest. Recently, the announcement of the RED DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) gave me some inspiration. For the next 20 years, I will focus my photography work on developing a process for capturing buildings and landscapes in ultra-high resolution, processing RAWs using HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging techniques, and producing very large prints. My objectives is to reproduce on prints the impressions one gets when looking at an inspiring building or a breathtaking landscape. Developing the right printing process will certainly become the most challenging part of the project. I want prints to be of very large size (12 feet and up), to display an analog grain (no visible pixels), and to be durable (with no visible degradation over a period of 100 years at least). Next step? Acquire an EPIC FF35 and EPIC 617 when they become available, and when my budget allows it.

John Chiara

Ismael Ghalimi — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:15:20 +0000

There is beauty in this world. Just look for it.

Life Before Death

Ismael Ghalimi — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:56:55 +0000

Take one picture before, and one after. Instant de réflexion.

California Sky Patterns

Ismael Ghalimi — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:12:20 +0000

My friend Dave and I are starting a new project: we will take pictures of Californian landscapes seen from the sky. He will be the photographer, using his Canon EOS 5D with a variety of lenses, and I will be the pilot, most likely flying a Cessna 172 Skyhawk NAV III, which is suitable for his high wing and low speed. Our first reconnaissance flight will focus on coastal areas, looking for a spot where braking waves make for interesting patterns on the surface of the ocean.

f/1.2

Ismael Ghalimi — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 05:12:34 +0000

After trying it out, May and I could not resist and decided to go for the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. We ordered it from B&H and received it today. Opening at f/1.2, this is the fastest lens we got so far. Some owners reported that this lens seems to create light where there is not enough of it, and it sure feels that way when taking indoor pictures without flash. While our other lenses (Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM) would require an ISO setting of 1600 to get anything decent, 800 seems to be plenty enough with this one. It makes me wonder wether we should ditch our zoom lenses, and get primes lenses instead. If so, I would get the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM, and the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USM when Canon releases an updated version with Image Stabilizer (IS). In the meantime, I am considering taking some photography classes while we still have some free time available during weekends. Keeble & Shuchat in Palo Alto is organizing some interesting ones on studio lighting and digital image processing.

Samy’s Camera

Ismael Ghalimi — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 05:12:42 +0000

If you happen to be in Los Angeles, CA and like to wander down the alleys of a good camera store, you might want to check Samy’s Camera out. It’s not as big as the amazing B&H store in New York, NY, but it’s bigger than any store we have in Northern California. The main location is the one on S. Fairfax Avenue, and there is parking right next to it. May, Ducky, and I went there today and tried the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. One word to describe this piece of glass: amazing!

Fred Miranda

Ismael Ghalimi — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 06:09:15 +0000

Yesterday, some friends and I spent the best part of our lunch time discussing about photography. I pointed them to the website of Fred Miranda, one of the best places to find information about digital photography and to discover amazing shots of American outdoors. Equipment reviews are extremely helpful too. For example, I’m really lusting for this new Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM right now. I just wish I could afford it…

Sony GPS-CS1

Ismael Ghalimi — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 15:51:20 +0000

Sony just announced a new GPS logger, the Sony GPS-CS1. It uses 32MB of flash memory to record any GPS track at 15 second intervals. One practical use is for geo-tagging of digital pictures, which is now supported by Flickr. Another application would be for recording flight logs, like my friend Matthieu Laban is doing. And if you merge the two, you could get a pretty cool logbook…

Canon XH A1

Ismael Ghalimi — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 06:03:59 +0000

Canon just announced the XH A1 high definition camcorder, a prosumer version of the superb XL H1 May and I fist saw in Japan last Winter. The XH A1 is equipped with the Canon 20x HD zoom lens with Professional L Series Fluorite, but contrary to the XL H1, the lens cannot be replaced with another one. Both support tapeless recording with the FireStore FS-4 Portable DTE Recorder.

Sony HDR-SR1

Ismael Ghalimi — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 14:22:24 +0000

Sony just released the HDR-SR1 camcorder, the first to record high-definition video directly to a hard disk drive. The built-in 30GB drive can record 4 hours with maximum resolution. Do I need a camcorder? You bet I do! Geek envy…

Canon EOS 5D

Ismael Ghalimi — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 03:00:42 +0000

Today, we sold our Canon EOS 20D in order to upgrade to the Canon EOS 5D. This full-frame digital SLR should allow us to take advantage of our wide angle lenses, especially the EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. I cannot wait to try it out!

Snow Monkeys

Ismael Ghalimi — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 04:28:32 +0000

Today, we hiked in the snow for half an hour and reached Jigokudani Yaen-Koen were a community of 200 monkeys take baths in warm springs. Some cool pictures are on Flickr. May and I took the pictures with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and the superb Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM. We used May’s umbrella to protect the equipment from the snow. A webcam shows one of the springs.

Dear Attack

Ismael Ghalimi — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 04:27:26 +0000

Today, May got attacked by a hungry deer in Nara. She was eating a roasted yam while the animal tried to get a bite. Somehow May did not want to share that day. Yam too yummy! Against her injuctions, I did not come to her rescue and instead focused on taking this funny picture.

Back in Japan

Ismael Ghalimi — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 04:26:15 +0000

The first time I went to Japan was in 1991. I spent a Summer month traveling across country with a Japan Rail Pass and sleeping in youth hostels, capsule hotels, trains and train stations. The object of the trip was to take pictures of contemporary buildings. My favorite architect at the time was Tadao Ando. Fifteen years later, here I am, back in this country that shall never cease to amaze me.

Wedding Pictures

Ismael Ghalimi — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 04:18:14 +0000

The wedding pictures for the ish+may wedding are now online. Many thanks to Gina Munda for the photography and to our friends and families who made this day such a magical event.