Terence's Porsche 911 Carrera 4 (997.1)

Gary Wang February 4, 2018

It's probably pretty obvious at this point that I hang out with the TT Auto team pretty often. And what I mean by hanging out is eating. Lots of eating. One evening, while filling ourselves silly, Terence and Theresa discussed the new website/blog they were working on behind the scenes. Having been one of the few to take a peek at the site, I was excited. I won't say too much, but think blog, shop site, and car features all in one.

While discussing the website, they asked for some assistance with photography. Of course, I had no reason to decline, especially since I've been desperate for some new content creation to start off the year. A few ideas bounce back and forth, and we decide to head out on Sunday to shoot Terence's 911 Carrera 4 in the snow. One of the big reasons we wanted to do the shoot sooner rather than later was because there was a crazy amount of snow that fell over the last 2 weeks. If I had to guess, I'd say about 20-30cms within the last week, 15cms of it over the weekend. It would be the perfect backdrop to capture the 4WD Porsche.

Initially, the plan was to install the roof rack and put some snowboards on it for that extra winter cool factor. Unfortunately, due to some issues with the Porsche-supplied keys for locking the rack, it wasn't installed. Nothing lost, there's always another opportunity to shoot.

And so, during one of the coldest days of winter at an ungodly hour (7:30am on a Sunday is pretty rough for a night owl like me), I headed over to Terence's house.

We then made our way towards the Edmonton Downtown, aiming to take photos at the Legislature, Kinsmen Park, and Gallagher Park/The Muttart Conservatory.

The Porsche navigated the roads magnificently and besides a bit of scraping (there was a lot of snow on the ground), we arrived at our first location without a hitch.

Apparently no one drives around the Legislature at 8:30am on a Sunday. So we took advantage of that and parked the car right on the road.

The soft morning light coupled with the Zeiss 55mm F/1.8 made for some great shots.

The heat from the titanium exhaust caused some snow buildup on the back of the car. Looks pretty cool!

Quad titanium exhausts and meaty tires. The winter tires are 295 width. The summer tires are 305 width. That's wider than the Ferrari F430 that Terence also owns!

In no time, we were already frozen solid. So we headed over to the nearest Starbucks for Coffee and breakfast.

We also decided to take some photos in front of the giant Grant Macewan clock, since we were already in the area.

At this point, the sun had risen for a while and the shadows were beginning to get harsher.

I then decided to take a look at a small one way alleyway near Rogers Place. I had visited it on foot last year and was impressed with how it looked. This time, there was a mural!

Auroras, bison, and wheat. How Albertan can this mural get??

One of my favorite photos from the session. I love the symmetry and colors. The "One Way" sign is also a nice background touch.

The rear 3/4 is my favorite angle of the car

We then blocked off the whole alleyway to get this photo!

Once we were frozen solid again, we warmed up in the car and headed over to our next spot: Kinsmen Park. I've taken plenty of photos in the area before, but never in the dead of winter. I can't decide if it looks better in the summer or winter. It's a great photo spot in either season.

The sunshine and trees proved to be a great backdrop

Love the bokeh on this shot. So smooth. Such great image/background separation.

At this point, fog started to settle in. In moments, the park was covered in a lingering soft fog.

I even ran up the bridge to get a quick shot of the river!

Followed by jumping back into the car to fight off the cold once more

Obligatory shot with the High Level bridge

We then drove the car into the fog for some unique shots. I can't say I've ever photographed a car in fog until now!

Here's a photo to give you an idea of the fog. It wasn't too heavy but it definitely obscured the view. At this point the rising sun was fighting it off and not much was left.

Finally, we made our way to our last stop, Gallagher Hill and the Muttart Conservatory.

Some cityscape in the background. It might have been better to break out the 24-70 for some wider angles.

Around 11:00am, we finished up at the Muttart Conservatory.

With our bodies frozen and my camera barely capable of operating due to the temperature, we called it a day and headed back to Terence's house. We were then joined by Theresa and had lunch at Central Social Hall.

Finishing the day off with some "The Cure" poutine at Central Social Hall.

After graciously accepting Terence and Theresa's offer to treat me in exchange for the photos, we said our goodbyes. It was an action packed Sunday morning and I think the photos came out great. Thanks to the cold weather, there wasn't much dirt on the car even though we used multiple locations. The fact that no one wanted to drive out that morning helped with getting some great shots.

I can't wait to do some more photoshoots!

Until next,
Gary

Under the bridge

Gary Wang January 9, 2018

How do you shoot a car dirty and gross from the winter salt and grime?

Easy, do it at night!

It's dark enough that if you squint the grime isn't as visible!

With the warm weather forming a brown slush on the roads, the car has seen cleaner days. But great results from the 55mm Zeiss, making the shot easy to get even without a tripod!

There's a surprising amount of light considering this was shot close to midnight.

Gary

New lens, who dis?

Gary Wang January 1, 2018

Instead of purchasing anything for boxing day (due to sales being abysmal, the Black Friday deals were significantly better), I had saved up some money to purchase a new lens. Although I already had the Sony 24-70 F/4 Zeiss, I simply wasn't a huge fan of the weight or how sluggish the lens felt. Having picked the cheaper alternative to the 24-70 F/2.8 G-Master, I felt like I wasn't able to capture the shots I wanted in low light situations and moving objects. I always had the idea of picking up a prime lens for the A7RII for the sake of a little bit of lightness, especially when travelling, but wasn't too impressed by the price. A 55 F/1.8 Zeiss was $1,150 from most retailers. I could get a 50mm F/1.8 NIKKOR Lens for $250.

Of course, having inserted myself into the Sony ecosystem, I already knew that everything came with a price premium, especially if you're going to go with first-party lenses and accessories. However, while making some small talk with my Pharmacy Manager, who is also an avid photographer, I learned that his brother in law was selling off his A7RII with a few lenses. Namely, a 16-35 F/4, 55 F/1.8, and a 70-300 F/4. Now if I had the money, I would have probably purchased all 3 as a package deal, but alas, I didn't really need all the lenses, and so after a few texts back and forth, I found myself the new owner of a 55mm F/1.8 Zeiss E-mount lens.

Now, I haven't really tested the lens outside of in my room due to the insanely cold week we've just been through, but first impressions are solid. It's a largely metal construction, with a metal body and metal mount as well. The focus ring feels smooth and the notches on the ring feel nice. Overall, it feels remarkably similar to my 24-70 F/4, which is also a Zeiss lens.

One thing that surprised me was the diameter of the lens. The filter thread size is a small 49mm compared the the 67mm of the 24-70, but it benefits with a smaller overall package and lighter weight, two big advantages to using primes in the first place.

Overall length is still greater than most prime lenses that I've used, though.

The other great advantage to prime lenses is the speed. At F/1.8, it excels in managing both low light situations and shallow depth of field. Although not the smoothest bokeh (I believe the 24-70 G-Master and the 85 F/1.8 are monsters in that regard), it certainly hold its own, especially when comparing it to my 24-70 Zeiss.

Some light bokeh using the 55mm F/1.8 with the 24-70 Zeiss in frame.

Another box to the collection! The lens is amazingly sharp even wide open, and given how dark my room is, the lens was still able to shoot quickly.

I'm probably going to run this lens most of the time with the occasional 24-70 usage depending on what I'm shooting. I'm already super happy with my current setup so I'm doubtful I'll be getting any new lenses in the future, but maybe one day, I'll grab a wide angle (16-35?), the 24-70 G-Master, and the 70-200 F/2.8 for the monster collection.

I hope to be shooting some new content soon, with the temperature improving. Cold weather is a massive deterrent to shooting. When it's -30°C before windchill, going outside with a camera is the last thing you'll want to do.

Cheers,
Gary

TT Automotive's Winter 2017 Party

Gary Wang January 1, 2018

Hello and happy new year! We're starting off the year behind (but not too much) as we visit TT Automotive for their Christmas party. TT Auto organizes a summer and winter party each year, although this was the first party that I attended. Looking back, I've only really known the team there for 6 months, but we've become great friends in that short time. They asked if I could take some photos for their event, which I was more than happy to oblige. Not to mention there were huge surprises that day!

Cleaned up and dressed up, the normally full-of-cars-and-tools garage is now setup for a party!

Hmm, what could be under this giant tarp and bow?

We were encouraged to put our best guess in for what's under the covers!

One thing that I quickly learned about TT Auto parties is the insane amount of food there was available. Being a pot-luck style gathering, everything under the sun was brought in. From KFC to sushi to homemade stuffed porchetta (Andrew you are a God among men), there was something for everyone there.

Those fried (?) tofu (?) things in the bottom left were amazing. I don't remember how many I ate but it was too many!

There was also this fantastic (and massive) cake to celebrate TT's 15th Anniversary! Very tasty cake too, very light and not too sweet.

So the big surprise here, was that Terence had purchased a new car and it was up to us to take guesses at what car it was. Now, I visit the shop frequently enough to have a decent idea what the car was, but you could never really be too sure. But when the cover came down, I had 2 reactions:

1) I was right, but more importantly

2) Holy smokes, did he actually buy that?

After staring and oogling at it for a few minutes (because frankly, I've never really be up close and personal with a Ferrari before, I decided to pick my jaw up from the floor and take some photos.

Cockpit views. Some comments on the seating. Firstly, it's incredibly low. When you step out, you are basically centimeters from the ground. Secondly, it's a very reclined driving position. It almost feels like you're sitting in a very tight and fan… — Cockpit views. Some comments on the seating. Firstly, it's incredibly low. When you step out, you are basically centimeters from the ground. Secondly, it's a very reclined driving position. It almost feels like you're sitting in a very tight and fancy leather-clad lounge chair.

One of the greatest moments after I congratulated Terence on his new purchase was when he was going to give me a ride. Of course, since it's the dead of winter and we basically had 10 cm of snow piled onto our cars during the party, it wasn't going to happen until spring at the earliest. But instead of telling me when I could tag along, he said I could drive the car myself.

What?!

Now I'll probably not do much more than drive it around the block once and be in some intense anxiety while driving it, but for him to just say sure just take it for a spin when it's warmer is a testament to Terence's mindset towards cars: he wants to share the experience with everyone.

To top it off, we played some baby picture matching games, exchanged secret santa gifts, and ate some more before I decided that it might be a good idea to head back. Unfortunately I had been scheduled to work on Christmas Eve, which was the day after the party. Some final team photos before I said my goodbye.

That's a wrap for the party! It was an exhausting but incredibly fun day and I can't wait until the summer party (especially since everyone's summer cars will be out!) Big shoutout to TT Automotive, Terence, Theresa, Nicholas, Andrew, Wayne, and everyone who make the party a big success!

Until next time,
Gary

An Autumn Day in the River Valley

Gary Wang December 17, 2017

Although the leaves had not turned into the perfect mix of orange and yellow for Autumn, I decided to spend some time downtown with Yasir, a friend and fellow Pharmacy graduate to start him off on his photography journey. Having recently purchased an entry-level Nikon, I met up with Yasir on a quiet Sunday in September to teach him the basics and bring him around some nice photo spots in Edmonton.

We started off at Kinsmen Park, where there was ample free parking and the lighting allowed us to take a few vanity photos of my car before moving along.

Yasir figuring out which side of the camera is which.

The LRT Bridge, officially known as the "Dudley B Menzies" Bridge (yes, I had to google that)

Some Kayakers soaking up the warm autumn sun on the North Saskatchewan River.

The new Walterdale bridge in the distance, with the old one still standing in the forefront.

One of the many roads parallel to the North Saskatchewan.

The old Tram making its way over the High Level.

Amazing how much bigger the new bridge is compared to the old one.

A skyline shot before walking back down to Kinsmen

Some new development of the River Valley area allowed for this graffiti wall. Nice to see some personality injected to our core.

We then waltzed our way down to Kinsmen after having a quick lunch stop at La Poutine. Yasir had work later that day, so we finished up at around 3 and went our ways. There are plans to do another shoot in the downtown core, especially with the unusual warm winter thus far.

In unrelated news, the Camry has undergone a few more adjustments. TT Automotive installed a rear backup camera on the Slamry, to accompany the recently added Sony XAV-100 Headunit I installed. A few TRD dress-up items were also purchased (oil and radiator caps, a genuine TRD badge for the trunk, and some dress-up gas cap items). Finally, an Ultra Racing front strut bar replaced the heavy OEM one. Oh and last, but not least, a winter wheel setup.

The winter wheel setup: Fast FC04 wheels at 17x8 +35 with 235/45/R17 Michelin X-ICE XI3 tires

At this point, the car stays as-is for the winter season, but I've booked some appointments with TT Automotive, Eclipse Autobody, and Avante Garde Motorsports for some big changes come spring.

But before that, Christmas parties, snowboarding, and visiting Calgary in the next few weeks!

Until the next post!
Gary