Evening Glow

Gary Wang May 2, 2020

With the weather warming up, I decided to go on an evening cruise and take some photos. I ended up driving to the U of A, which was oddly quiet due to the lack of in person classes. There were many people walking around to get some fresh air around the campus, but nobody on campus itself. It made for easy shooting with no people walking into the shot! The early sunset was nice and easy to work with, lighting wise. Enjoy!

That’s it folks! Hopefully next post will be about the Slamry. It’s undergoing surgery at TT Auto but should be ready to go by next weekend!

Cheers,
Gary

Quarantined Times

Gary Wang May 2, 2020

We’re 5 months into 2020 and it’s probably been the wildest 5 months in recent memory. So many things (mostly negative/tragic) have occurred in such a short span of time. The biggest obstacle currently is a largely worldwide quarantine to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirs (SARS COV-2/COVID-19). As a pharmacist, it’s been a battle against hoarders, misinformation, drug shortages, and frustrated patients. As a car guy, it’s a mixed bag. Car shows and meets have largely been cancelled and those meets that are still happening I frown heavily on. There is a bit less traffic and a bit more space to enjoy driving, but the recent warm weather would make it look like the quarantine never happened.

I’m no exception from being sick of being at home and unable to go out with friends. However, I do think that we need to be socially responsible and distance whenever possible. Leading to me going for drives with no destination then coming home. Here are some photos of my 911 at a deserted parking lot near my house, to help stave away the continuing boredom.

These photos were taken at mid-day and challenged me with bright, harsh, direct light. I enjoy shooting in the early morning and evening, but I would almost consider shooting at those times sort of “cheating”. It’s very easy to shoot in those lighting conditions and photos come out phenomenal even without editing. However, like night photography, I want to dabble a bit more in practicing with less-than-ideal light whether it’s too bright to too dark, since some times (or for me, most of the time), you have no control over light. I suppose that’s something I can experiment with while gatherings are banned.

Some more photos and exciting news coming up! Stay tuned!

Cheers,
Gary

Johnston Canyon in Winter

Gary Wang December 31, 2019

I had the opportunity to visit Calgary to see @vaness.o.saurus and we decided to go to Johnston Canyon for a winter hike. Having never been to Johnston Canyon (nor a hike in winter), it was a good opportunity to check a few things off my bucket list. Best part about winter hiking? No mosquitoes. Worst part? Cold, but it comes with the territory.

Almost all the photos I took ended up being vertical (portrait) since the canyon is quite narrow. Check out the photos below!

I love how the trees and rocks look covered in snow. I especially like snow that hasn’t been touched and how smooth it looks. It felt like walking through a winter wonderland. We were also really lucky getting down to the iconic big rock (don’t know what else to call it) in winter. There was no defined path getting there and there were some steep areas, but overall it was worth it. We even had the place to ourselves for a good 10-15 mins and was quite relaxing and serene.

If you want to do Johnston Canyon in winter, just bundle up and you’ll be fine. We used crampons, but you may not need to if it’s not icy. We certainly could have managed without them, but they do add an extra feeling of safety.

New year’s day is coming up shortly so I’ll end it at that. Have a happy new year and all the best in 2020!

Cheers,
Gary

TT Auto Christmas Party

Gary Wang December 31, 2019

Every year, Terence and Theresa (with some help with close friends) host a big Christmas party at their shop, TT Automotive. They make it themed every year as well. This year, the theme was Harry Potter and needless to say, this was probably the most extravagantly decorated yet. Lots of great ideas and small touches that made it special. There’s not much else to say besides that it was a fantastic time with good food and friends.

My favorite part of the decor was the 2 Mini Coopers decked out with gifts and stockings!

Although Christmas is over now, I hope you all had a good Christmas and got to spend time with people you care about!

Cheers,
Gary

780Tuners Season Closer 2019

Gary Wang October 14, 2019

This year’s season closer was going to be on a nice, reasonably warm Sunday evening. During the 2 weeks before the event, the forecast showed no rain and plenty of sun up until sunset (which sadly occurs at 7:00pm). What I forgot though, was that weather in Edmonton is silly and changes with the drop of a hat. So here we are, in near zero temperatures, in the rain.

Thankfully Terence and Theresa of TT Auto always bring the energy and dressed up as pandas. They did this last year near Halloween, but took it one step further and came in full costume to a car show!

I’m now questioning whether they’d fit in the Minis with their panda heads!

Turbofans on a Mustang is super funky but I like it!

Clean 180 on different colored wheels front and rear (???)

Toyota Mark II (GX81, Cressida) super low on the ground. Guaranteed that exhaust throws sparks on uneven road.

One of the cleanest cars at the show. 2015 WRX STi

Once it became to cold/wet for comfort, we hid in the Casino nearby and then returned for some hot chocolate beverages before driving off and warming up with some hot pot.

Sadly, the Porsche is going to be parked next week, so that’s the end of the car season for me. I’ll have to change to winters on the Camry as well, so the fitment is going to be pretty questionable. Oh well, it’s gonna be covered in slush and snow anyways. At the very least, there’s no calcium chloride on the roads this year. Thank goodness.

Cheers,
Gary