PHIDONG.COM . 5.0

Happy new year to everybody. It's the year of the pig now. The screen above is from Viva Pinata which I've been playing a lot of. The game sounds pretty kiddy but it is really addictive. Luckily I got Tim addicted to it too so I'm not alone.

Overall, the Year of the Dog has been good to me. Photographically speaking, I took a lot of my best photos this year which is amazing because for the last 6 months I really haven't been shooting. I guess you could say I'm in a slump or I'm just busy. Despite the fact that I haven't been shooting for half a year, I managed to be the featured photographer in the February issue of Non Song.

February Issue of Non Song.

It turned out pretty grey and muddy in the magazine which is unfortunate because I spent an hour touching up the full resolution for print. Here is a digital version of the image which I'm sure you've seen before.

And the bio I wrote.. er, I mean someone wrote for me. See if you can spot all the puns

Phi Dong began shooting in the summer of 2003 when he impulsively purchased his first camera: a Canon Digital Rebel. It wasn't just a relatively large purchase at a time, but it would become a life altering decision. Since then, photography has given him a new focus on life and has changed the way he views the world. With his exposure to the automotive industry, Phi began photographing motorsports but has since developed into a more well-rounded photographer, focusing on photojournalistic and landscape photography. His decision to get into photography has been panning out. Even so, not everything is filled with highlights. There have been lulls in the past four years, but in contrast to his past views, he doesn't like to be negative when falling into a slump. "I've built somewhat of a buffer. I love photography, but I don't let it get to me. Sometimes you lose inspiration but the best thing I've found to do is to just keep shooting and it will come back. You have to put your goals in perspective; nobody becomes a great photographer overnight."

While some people may argue that photography is entirely about the destination because the end result is all people are able to see, he feels that photography is more about the journey. It is easy to obsess over equipment, post processing, etc. and completely lose sight of where you're headed. He believes that great photographers take great pictures; the camera and lenses are just tools. He says, "It was only once I stopped blaming my gear and began to blame myself that I was able to grow as a photographer."

I hope you all have a great year and remember, photography is deliberate, intentional, and planned. You always know what you're going to get before you press the shutter button because you've already envisioned exactly what you want. I guess Loc put it best when he said, "let your imagination take the picture before your camera does."