After taking some shots from the pool deck level, I headed down to the lobby of Epic where I mingled with the guests some. When I decided to set up the tripod and point it toward the couches, no one was in sight. That’s the way I like it. c;

My Former Crush: 50 Biscayne

Yea, I was pretty high up, for Miami at least. 50 floors above the ground and looking south from Everglades on the Bay, you’ll receive this nice view of 50 Biscayne. It’s still relatively new as it opened to residents in 2008. The color palette used within this tower’s exterior design is excellent and really stands out during the day and at night. I dimmed the surrounding towers, making them less distracting.

I can’t decide for sure which directional view I like best in dwntwn Miami. My condo balcony looks out west to the city, as planes touchdown at Miami Int’l. But the east view is just as great, especially at night. The beach is always spotlighted from the distance, making it viewable from the dwntwn area. So majestic and easy on the eyes, I really look forward to its progression. Future hurricanes better play nice!

Eyecandy Tastes Better at my Portfolio!

You know you want a taste of my Eyecandy. But luckily, it comes in an abundance of sizes! Don’t think nasty; I’m referring to my photos over at portfolio.xynntii.com.You can see all of my photos by clicking “Portfolio” at the top. Some are misled by the slideshow, but those who have been to online portfolio’s before understand that it’s just an opening teaser.

You can even buy prints directly within the genre galleries so go crazy! The most popular print sold thus far this premiere month has been Venus Williams is Pretty Damn Intimidating! Listen: You don’t have to stress over it anymore. Buy that print in addition to any other within Eyecandy today.

Acknowledge the Olympia Theatre.

During the finale night of Miami Int’l Film Festival (MIFF) 2010 I was called to get some shots of the audience; folks waiting in line for tickets and making their way indoors. I wanted to create a sense of perspective and location so before crossing the street I got low, set up the tripod and take exposure takes its course. Coincidentally, a Benz sped by a the same time I triggered off. Fortunately I was able to capture the people in one piece, in contrast to the strobe effect from the vehicle.

Zipping Past the Miami Film Festival

The Most Blank Stares I’ve Ever Received

Your Majesty: Olympia Theatre

Undisclosed Hallway of Maurice Gusman

Above are links to all the other recent photos I’ve taken and published from the Gusman Center and Olympia Theatre. See how considerate I am? Always got your back! =D

Don’t Mess w/ Her; I’m Serious!

Thanks so much to Darren Lewis, top security at Miami’s Epic Hotel, for allowing me to barge in for some night shots! Be sure to click on his name and request him via facebook. He’s kinda old so he doesn’t really believe in Twitter (amateur! ^_^) I’ve visited Epic countless times and never realized what great scenery its vantage point captures. It’s from this location where I also grabbed the shot from Vacating Brickell w/ the Quickness!

Well, she’s definitely been running things in Dwntwn Miami for quite some time and deserves the title Head Bitch in Charge! Although the Four Seasons in the Brickell District has surpassed the Wachovia Financial Center as the tallest skyscraper in Miami, its exterior design and time period from which it came simply cannot be matched. During the summer of 2008 when I first landed in Miami, I would have never guessed that this masterpiece came from the early 80′s! For this tower to still look so modern is remarkable, considering how often Miami goes under construction.

The Comment Cabin Nears Completion

I’m always gonna be about making xynntii.com as user-friendly as possible. One of the most engaging sections of this website needs to be the comment section, where people can not only share their thoughts on posts and pages, but also read up on previous comments. Hence, the Comment Cabin, another inutitive piece of this website that I’m sure you’ll find useful.

Approaching completion next week, the Comment Cabin will display your comment magically within it’s individual block. =D [that was corny]. You’ll also be able to comment directly with your Facebook, so your profile pic will appear as a thumbnail alongside your comment! I’m real anxious to add this to xynntii.com’s playground!

“Brickell or Dwntwn Miami?” Same Thing, Ignoramus!

I try to be as polite as I can be but tourists [and some natives] just don’t get it: Brickell is considered within the dwntwn area. I suppose you can call it the ‘business district’ of Miami. Countless times I’ve had to explain that to people. I’m a ridiculous hypocrite though, considering that I just found out for myself, about 6 months ago, that Brickell is part of dwntwn Miami. & I’ve been living here for 2 years so that’s pretty disgusting.

This image was shot at the Epic Hotel pooldeck looking to the south into Brickell. I found it hilarious that all traffic was heading towards me, leaving this District, the entire time I was setting up. Brickell is a great site for photos though! So many random skyscrapers used for nothing more than office space. I get the feeling that we’ve gotten to the point where architects and realtors are only constructing towers to be able to say “Hey yea, I’m the owner of the tallest building in Miami; how you like me now?” I think our ego’s drive us into bankruptcy, not our ignorance.

More From Gusman Center During MIFF 2010

For some reason this year I took a completely different approach toward the Miami Int’l Film Festival. Instead of the usual boring podium pics, I made it a priority to capture the architecture of the Olympia Theatre, inside and out. Because of this initiative, I was able to see so much more of this place in comparison to last year, where I was highly distracted by Miami Female Eyecandy! 0_0

In continuation of the random discussion I created within the last MIFF image post, I was very shocked at how many people just stood around and starred at me as I got this shot. I didn’t received those “Oh, I’m so interested in what you’re doing” type stares. I got those “What the hell is he doing, he look ridiculous” type stares. I decided to set up for this shot after nearly everyone had left this area [the main entrance] and were seated in the theatre. I figured this would help alleviate traffic, which it did. But it didn’t prevent the spectators. Too bad no one bothered to raise their head to see what displayed above them. =/

“There’s No Way The Ceiling is Really That Illuminated!”

Well I have to be honest: it really isn’t. Obviously there would need to be a ginornous light source to create such an orgasmic-looking scene from above. Those ceiling lamps clearly would not provide that much illumination; hence the High Dynamic Range Imaging process. ^_^

1. I always use a tripod, so get in the habit of using one as well. It makes the editing process so much easier. At this site, I captured 3 shots at the exact same position using 3 different exposures, bracketed at -2, 0, +2. For HDRI’s, I consistently use Photomatix to fuse the exposures together. There is also a great tonemapping feature included in the program. Keep in mind though, Photomatix is typically only the first of about 8 steps.

2. Next, it’s time for Photoshop! Using color correction, desaturation and tonal contrast is a must. Color Efex Pro, an excellent plug-in that I use, can get this job done the best. I use it more than any other plug-in. I’m sure you  will find it very productive and user-friendly.

Typical Whack Night in Dwntwn Miami

What a great revelation I just had! I recall taking this shot just before I headed to the Inter-Continental Hotel to grab that luxurious shot of the front entrance. Also, this was shot just a block away from where I took The New MIA image. But that’s before xynntii.com even existed. ^_^ Aww, if only I could remember more important things just as easy, like what my Java test is covering tomorrow. =/ How Sad.

Anyway, During this night, I was on a mission to take an interesting photo that involved both the moving traffic on the street, and the metromover above it. So obvously my timing would need to be on point. The metromover didn’t come out as well I wanted, but I’ll take what I can get. Look at that car expose though!! ↓

How Did I Expose the Car for a Length of 3 Streetlights?

In addition to the exposed metromover above, there this photo there is only one exposed car on that street. But if you look closely you’ll notice that the car’s strobe lights extend from the front of the photo all the way to that red street light! That’s pretty long right? Typically it would be impossible to expose anything for that long and still retain relative light in the frame. So here is how it’s done:

1. This image contains pieces from 3 other images, so the Photoshop masking tool is a must. I gathered the 4 similar photos I took, one after another at the same exposure. In Photoshop, I layered each photo in sequential order, keeping the original on top at all times. Individually, I used the brush tool to mask through the ordered images, taking more and more of the exposed car from each image to make it look like one long stream within the original. [If you're confused by now, don't worry... so am I.]

2. A finishing touch I head to my biatch Color Efex Pro which has so many great presets, including Contrast Color Range. This is probably the preset I use the most alongside Pro Contrast and Tonal Contrast. They just do much of the work for you, so it saves time. With Contrast Color Range, there are controls that allow you to correct the color contrast and adjust the brightness and full frame contrast. Surprisingly, these presets help bring out detail as well. c;

Get Your Own Photoshoot ↓

Already, dozens of you have answered the call from xynn tii imagery.™ to host a photo session for you, your friends, and even those with their own company. Several clients have traveled from outside of Florida to receive the xtii. Treatment, which is extraordinary.  The xynn tii imagery.™ name is surpassing the Florida borders and appealing to models, entrepreneurs and businesses alike!

You don’t have to be left out! Just come to the Greater Miami Area and choose your very own Selection from the xtii. :Selection Forms. It cannot be stressed enough how wallet-friendly these selections are. They were set up strategically, catering to the bank accounts of broke college students, like myself. c;

A total of 6 selection categories are available within the Midscale Selection & Upscale Selection. You also have the option to manually form you own Selection by using the “:xtiiCustomize” column.

Where’s My $ Going?

This is something that might just be on your mind. xynn tii imagery.™ is proud to report that every single penny made by the company, stays within the company. Your money is directly used for company necessities such as camera equipment and advertising campaigns. c: Your support is literally what keeps xynn tii imagery.™ in process! Have an open mind, take the initiative → contact xynn tii imagery.™ today to receive your personalized images! c;

Image Detail.

The lighting in this bathroom was frazy! Great illumination for a shot that I couldn’t resist. I had never taken this type of shot before so I decided to continue shooting even if someone came into the bathroom with me. & not surprisingly about 4 total guys entered and left the bathroom within a 3 minute time-span, which was hilarious. All 3 of them looked at me like I was crazy, but I had to stay focused yo!

This is the first time I ever had so many thoughts going through my mind, in Korean, while editing an image. I decided to add them in, streaming vertically along the bathroom wall. Do you like? Something new! This HDRI was developed using Photomatix, Portraiture and of course, Photoshop CS4.

No, seriously, it really is!

All these one-way streets in the dwntwn area is what really pisses Miamians off! I complain about it on Twitter all the time yo!

Now, from an Everglades on the Bay vantage point, looking to the north, you just might see the legendary Freedom Tower, American Airlines Arena, Marina Blue, 900 Biscayne, Ten Museum Park or even the ridiculously luxurious Marquis Miami. But none of that is what makes dwntwn Miami just straight-up weird.

It’s the fact that dwntwn has an unusual look to it, or at least for right now it does. =/ With all this construction going on you could see it as a renovation period, or what architects are dubbing a “Manhattanization wave”. But that’s just half the story.

What’s my Point?: nothing is being done to expand the roads in dwntwn, which is a major mistake. As I mentioned in an earlier vlogcast™ image detail, so much money is being invested to bring traffic and residents in, but Miami is simply too damn small for this movement. Some might say the city is ‘too far gone’ meaning an excess of construction has already taken place, eliminating the opportunity or room for road expansion. =/ Would you believe that construction on Miami Beach has created the same exact problem? Ha, but who am I to say: I’m just a broke college student! Oh well.

Image Detail.

Another HDR brought you to via the Canon D7, my new Akemi >_< I actually didn’t have to edit this image too much; lighting was the main focus. Some artificial light was implanted on the main road [Biscayne Blvd] in the image to contrast it from everything else.

& yes, I have to admit the moon is fake, but give me credit; it looks pretty damn real. c; I added it using the selection tool in CS4 and it is placed behind the clouds. I also dodged the skyscapers to highlight them. I edited this image using the following software below.

NECESSARY SOFTWARE!

Photoshop CS4

Lightroom 3.0

Photomatix Pro

There are also several plugins for Photoshop which I also find useful. They will be revealed in the next few vlogcasts™ for xynn tii imagery.™ Anticipate progression and improvement from xtii™ in 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

to the entire fanbase over at the xynn tii imagery™ facebook fansite! Love ya so much for your interest. ^_^