Cirque Shanghai

It was a lovely day. The wife and I, and a friend, watched this wonderful and dazzling show. It was a visual treat and the performers were really, really good. The acts caused our hearts to skip a beat while others caused palpitations...

Shooting videos were not allowed. But the fact that I can shoot stills added to my excitement (albeit without flash). But of course, I didn't let my photography get in the way of my actually enjoying the show. I didn't want to be the one who captured the spectacle but not enjoy the show as it was meant to be watched...

It was a really wonderful experience, something that I would like to watch again if ever they go back to Chicago next summer.

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Gears used in making these photos: Canon 7D and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens and the Lowepro Urban Photo Sling 250 (my review of this bag can be found here).

Having Lightroom Is Like Having A Soft Edge Graduated Neutral Density Filter

Having a ND-Grad filter is a nice thing to always have, especially if you are shooting landscapes or, in this case, a city skyline.

However, if you do not have one, then having Lightroom is a very, very good alternative! Just go to the Develop Module and press "M" in your keyboard. Then, as what I did in my photos below, I adjusted the exposure of the mask to -0.5 EV. The result was splendid!

So, if you don't have a ND-Grad filter, or you simply forgot to bring one, then just use Lightroom once you load your photos to your computer.

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Shots made with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens. Want the best backpack for your DSLR? Check out my review of my favorite, the Lowepro Versapack 200AW, here and here.

The Lowepro Urban Photo Sling 250 and The Chicago Air & Water Show

The Chicago Air & Water Show is something that I was looking forward to since the weather became warmer - you see, I have had a great fascination about airplanes since I was young. I believe that this has even propelled me, pardon the pun, to take up physics for my undergrad.

I would have wanted to catch most of the show: the sky divers, the helicopter demos; the wife and I were only able to catch the last 15 minutes of the show...

These are my photos:

Normally, I use either a Lowepro Versapack 200AW or a Lowepro Urban Photo Sling 150 but for this adventure, I chose to bring the Lowepro Urban Photo Sling 250. I used this bag instead because I had the Canon 70-300 attached to the camera while the Canon 24-105 and a Canon speedlite are parked inside.

The wife, herself, was able to get some spectacular shots. She even got some spectacular photos of me while photographing the event. The following are her shots:

These are her photos of me while I was taking the shots. I absolutely love that I can easily blend in with the crowd, some 1 million of them, with this photo sling bag.

It was a lovely day and, despite having only a few minutes, I was able to enjoy the entire 15 minutes of it.

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Shots made with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS lens.

The wife's photos made with a Canon Powershot.