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The Professor
The Professor

Name:: Phi Dong
Age: 21
Birthday: December 13, 1985
School: University of California, Irvine
Major: Environmental Engineering
Interests:: photography, graphic design, car detailing, working out, bowling, basketball

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About the Site

Originally, the site started as a subdirectory, an experiment, piggybacking on philoader.net, a mildly unsuccessful tutorial site that was established sometime in 2001. Beginning in January of 2003, the personal site moved to its own domain and Phidong.com version 1.0 was launched. Over the last three years, phidong.com has evolved from a small personal site to a content driven machine. The site now includes much more than journal entries.

Ironically, the site now carries several photoshop and photography tutorials in the classroom section and philoader.net has been shut down.

CMS: Movable Type
Gallery: Gallery 1.5


The Professor

All About Me

Once every blue moon you meet somebody that is so extraordinary that they blow your mind away. It isn't their physical appearance, but something much deeper. The way they carry themselves with such confidence that it sets them apart from the crowd. It seems like there is no obstacle too great for them to conquer, no task too large for them to complete. You don't mind having great expectations of them because you know no matter how high you set the bar, they will redefine it because they are the gold standard by which everything is measured. This person is me! laugh

Just kidding... hsugh

I'm a passionate and motivated person, when I'm interested. Some of my passions are designing, photography, car detailing, and sometimes even school. My life isn't limited to these passions alone nor does it revolve soley around them. I believe that if you love something, you should do it with all your heart and share it with those around you. Phidong.com isn't a site about me. It is a site about the moments in which I am sharing my life with those around me.

The Equipment

There is one element that rules over all photography: light. The word itself is made up of two parts, photo and graphy. Photo means light and graphy means writing. Because of this, the tool used in the capture of light is much less important than the person controlling it. The making of a photograph requires two things: equipment and the photographer.

I believe that great photographers make great photographs. Equipment is only a tool used in the capture of light. The ratios have to be something like 90% photographer, 2% equipment. The other 8%? Luck. If you think I'm good, I just get lucky. wink

The photographs in my gallery have been taken with the equipment below. Some of it I still own, and some I have sold in persuit of the perfect line-up. A lot of people ask me what lenses they should buy first or what they need to add to their arsenal. Pick the lens that suits your style, don't alter your shooting for a lens.

equipment
Canon 20D w/ grip, Sigma 8mm f/4 EX Fisheye, Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Fisheye, Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX, Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM, Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM, Canon 135mm f/2L USM, Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX, Kenko 1.5x teleconverter, Canon 580EX Speedlite, Alien Bees B800, Ring Light

equipment
Retired: Canon Digital Rebel, Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye, Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC, Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 EF-S, Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di SP, Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM, Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro, Sigma 70-210mm f/2.8 APO, Sigma ef-500 Super DG flash (x2)