Review of the Monster Turbine Earphones

Christmas is a fun time. Celebrations with friends and family, get-togethers, gift-giving and, of course, gift-receiving.


For her Christmas gift for me, the wife gave me a Monster Turbine Earphones. I actually discovered it while browsing through amazon.com and I saw that it was featured as a "Lightning Deal". The earphones was generously priced and the wife saw my reaction to it. The wife bought it and, come Christmas eve, she presented me with an amazon.com box.


The earphones came in a very plush box. The box represents, I feel, that the contents are of good quality.

When you slip off the white sleeve, you will see a very nice looking black box with a magnetic latch and a very proud "turbine" label.

When you pull that tab, you will find inside the earphones, "two" earphone cases, extra ear tips, and papers on warranty, how-to manuals, etc.

The sound is great! The sound produced by the Apple earbuds that came with my iPod pales in comparison. You get more bass, crisper sounds, and, I believe, the entire range of notes from shrills to thumps. It is good for listening to music, watching movies and music videos, and even for reducing the noise of the outside world - yes, I did that one time: I was in a coffee shop and I wanted to concentrate on what I was reading so I turned off my iPod. But the noise of the coffee shop was also a distraction, so I just put on the earphones without anything playing - the sound of the outside world was greatly reduced even if the Turbine is no noise-cancelling headphone. It is that useful.


Now I am no audiophile. I just know that this earphone sounds much better than the white earbuds that came with my iPod. And though music is not all bass, I don't mind listening to Kanye West with these earbuds, thank you very much. Nor do I mind listening to the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack, my favorite female musical group Bond, nor to Rage Against the Machine.

Is it worth the price? I got lucky, or rather the wife got lucky (wink, wink) that it was almost at 40% of the original price, so, at that price, yes it is worth it! But if it's the original price, I might look for something else first though I might eventually buy it anyway. Do I recommend it? Let the writing on the "other" case (yes, there are two which shows that this is really a high-end purchase) tell you.

Photos of the Monster Turbine in this post made with a Canon Powershot G12. My photo holding the earphone case, and taken by the wife, made with a Canon Eos 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.

Audrey Hepburn - An Inspiration to Portrait Photographers

Prior to coming to the US, I really didn't know Audrey Hepburn. All I knew was she looked like my favorite actress from the Philippines (and childhood crush), Donita Rose. But friends of the wife and I introduced Audrey Hepburn to us by letting us watch some of her movies. Since then, I was star-struck and I watched more of her movies.


When I saw the book Audrey 100, I was introduced to one of the best collection of portrait photography ever. This portfolio, I believe, is a must have to whomever wants to delve into portraiture, as I am. This book is one of the best portfolio I have ever seen.


And this is not only a great collection of photographs, it is also a showcase of the great achievements made by a great person in show business and outside of it. Because of this book, I am now inspired enough to read her biography, Enchantment.


I really can't say enough positive things about this book. Photographers who want to replicate the shots can study how the photos were made. Photographers can also draw inspiration from the book if ever they want to find inspiration for their next fashion shoot.


But if nothing else, despite several decades too late, this book made me an admirer of Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn was really much bigger than life.

There's Always A Shot... Playing the Piano Backwards

From There's Always A Shot

Last December, the wife and I went to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. While viewing the wonderful art works, I noticed that a lot of people were mulling around something on the ground floor. The wife and I were on the 4th floor, I think, at that time, so I used my camera to see what's happening up close. This was what I saw. This gentleman was playing piano while "in" the piano. He was playing Beethoven's Ode to Joy and he was really good! I don't know what contraption they had inside so that the gentleman won't step on the strings but, nevertheless, he was really good.
This gentleman showed that, if there is more than one way to skin a cat, then there is also more than one way to play the piano.
Photo made with a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens. Shot was at ISO1600, f/4, 1/40s set at Manual.

2010 - An Introspection

2010 had been a great year and it would be remiss of me if I let it go without looking back.


In 2010 I attended my first photography workshop. I attended a workshop in Adorama given by David Piazza. He had a model present for his presentation and I took some photos of the model while David was giving his presentation. After the talk, the speaker, model and participants stayed a while and I took more pictures of the model from my seat. She was posing for some of the participants who went closer to her to get better shots. But I couldn't bring myself to go nearer. Finally, she saw me from my seat and she posed for me. That's when I got the courage to approach her and take her pictures up close. I was shivering the whole time and my hands got really clammy.


And that was the start of the website: www.theshyphotographer.com. I already had a blog for some time but 2010 was the year I had my own web domain. And I have that lovely lady to thank for. I wish I knew her name so that I will be able to thank her, but, alas, I was too shy to ask.


In 2010, I met professional photographers for the first time. But the one that left the best impression on me was Moose Peterson. I attended a talk he gave in Adorama (yes, I love going to Adorama) and after his talk, I felt very much inspired. I hope that, like him, I will be able to produce pictures that will also be able to pull heartstrings.


In 2010, I was also able to get 8000 hits for my website. I know that this is a far cry from the big websites that gets millions of unique hits but I am humbled by the fact that I am able to share what little I know about photography.

I was able to attend my first Canon Expo in 2010. I was greatly and pleasantly surprised that I got an invite to such a wonderful event. I was able to check out and use cameras that I only dreamed off among other things. I was able to use a Canon Eos 1Ds mark III with a Canon EF 200mm f/2 lens! I was able to use a 50mm f/1.2, 70-200mm f/2.8, etc. I am hoping that I will eventually have those lens but the Canon Expo will tide me off in the meantime. In that same expo, I was able to listen to talks given by Vincent Laforet, Robert Farber, Denis Reggie, and more.


2010 also saw me enroll in my first photography class. I met some wonderful people who also want to improve their photographic skills. I got a lot from that class, probably more than I gave. Being able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a photo was a very good learning experience.


In 2010, I got my first client. A friend was graduating from her PhD and she got impressed with my photos that she contracted me to take photos of her and her friends during and after the graduation ceremony. It was a very satisfying experience and I am glad that she also liked the results.


And of course 2010 was the year I won a Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens, plus much more. This contest was held by Scott Bourne and I got really, really lucky that out of his 80,000 plus followers, my twitter name was the one that got the lucky draw. He has a lot of detractors but I am proof that his contests are true and he really does give away very expensive prices.


So, what now for 2011?


I still have a lot to learn so I enrolled in a portraiture class. I wish to improve the little skills that I have and I find it very helpful to have a professional to look and critique my photos. There is also a model in that same class so I hope that my shyness will be cured once and for all; or at least lessened. I plan to keep the www.theshyphotographer.com domain because I think it's cute (insert smiley here) but I hope my own shyness will be exorcised from me.


I had my first client in 2010 but it turned out that she was my only client. I hope that people will be able to see my portfolio and think that I am worth a try.


I am also trying to learn the business side of photography and I am starting it off by reading Fast Track Photographer by Dane Sanders. A few chapters into the book and I already know that this book will be a great help in this regard.


Also, I wish to share the little knowledge that I know for those who are willing to ask, learn and participate. This website is the primary way for me to connect with the world and I wish to have a healthy discussion with those who would like to listen. I'll continue to share things through this site and I hope that other people would find it helpful.


2010 had been a great year and, at the start of the new year, I hope that 2011 would be much greater.

New Year in Warp Drive

From @garybc and @reina_reyes, Happy 2011!

Shot made with a Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L lens at ISO100, f/4, 1/8s.

Merry Christmas

Shot made with a Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens. f/11, ISO100, 105mm, 0.5s.

December 2010 Lunar Eclipse

I was going to take a break and resume blog posting after the New Year, but who could resist making pictures of the total lunar eclipse? This is the first that I have taken pictures of so I am very happy that it was a very clear night. It almost froze my fingers off but it was worth it.


I used mirror lock up so that I will get tack-sharp pictures. I used a cable release also so that I didn't have to touch the camera to trigger it. I used manual focus because that camera had a hard time looking for something to focus on. However, the cold weather (around 30degF) made my hands shiver so much and that added to the difficulty of focusing. For the shot with the leaves, I used a flash light to light up the leaves while maintaining the aperture and shutter speed settings as is. For all the shots, I used a "Sunny" white balance setting. There are no edits done on the photos except for cropping and noise reduction in some of the high-ISO shots.

December 2010 Lunar Eclipse

Equipment used in making the shots:


Canon Eos 7D
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6
Canon Cable release
Benro Tripod and ballhead