Jeff Pang's photostream  

Why? I am not a photographer. But I like to take pictures on occasion, mostly to remind myself of the adventures I've been on when my real work becomes too much of a grind.

Since my interest in photography grew out of my love of the outdoors, most of my photos are of nature, landscapes, and other outdoorsy stuff. I try to write up reports on my trips here.

Gear. I am a hiker/backpacker/mountaineer first and photographer second, so I don't really have much gear. Until August 2008, I just had a Canon Powershot S1 IS point-and-shoot. The Canon Digital Rebel XSi is my first SLR and I almost always carry just one lens, a Tamron 18-250mm. The only filter I carry is a circular polarizer. These were conscious choices I made because I don't want camera gear to slow me down. In June 2009, I got a Gitzo Mountaineer GT0531 tripod and borrowed a Sigma 10-20mm --- another 2 pounds that I have deemed worthwhile to carry around on special occasions.

Post. What I lack in gear and traditional photographic skill, I try to make up for using software. Photoshop works wonders correcting exposure, color, etc. Alignment, stitching and HDR software can often make great substitutes for tripods, narrow lenses, and graduated density filters.

Relying so much on post-processing may be somewhat heretical to purists. To that, all I can say is that I am not willing to spend more than a few minutes composing a picture, nor do I "plan" the photographs that I take. I think that takes the fun out of exploring. Every single photo in my stream was spontaneous --- I took it because I saw something interesting right then, at that particular moment in time. A little photographic skill and a bit of post-processing enables point-and-shoot style photography without sacrificing the quality of the visions I have at those moments.

Creative Commons. All my images are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. You are welcome to use my photos for whatever you see fit, so long as you give me credit. Let me know if you do. You can find some full sized versions of some here (if you can't find what you're looking for, message me and I'd be happy to oblige).

You may attribute an image in one (or more) of the following ways:
1. By indicating that the author is "Jeff Pang."
2. By including a hyperlink back to its flickr page that is clearly labeled as the source of the image (e.g., "Source of image").
3. By hyperlinking the image itself back to its flickr page (i.e., so that when a user clicks on it, he or she is sent to the original page).

Please do not attribute CCA images in ways that do not make it clear to a viewer where the image came from. You're already getting to use the image for free; the least you can do is to make the origin of the image clear.

Favorite Trips. Some people have asked me about my favorite hiking/backpacking trips. Below is a very loosely ordered list of my top 5:

1. Lake Magog, Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, B.C., Canada - The entire journey to Lake Magog from Sunshine Meadows and Citadel Pass is overflowing with scenery that includes vast meadows, rain forest-like canopies, barren rock plains, and spectacular mountains and lakes. It culminates in one of the most gorgeous scenes in Canada, if not the entire world: Lake Magog and the Assiniboine chain of mountains. Lake Magog also has excellent facilities (cabins, huts, cook shelters, and afternoon tea). While at Lake Magog make sure to hike to Nub Peak, which has the best panoramic view I have experienced to date.
2. The Mattertal, Valais, Switzerland - For most people, this is a once in a lifetime trip. The scenery is spectacular and the amenities available at Swiss huts makes it the most comfortable 7 day "backpack" I have ever done. I still have to go back to Zermatt one day as a skiier in the winter or a technical mountaineer in the summer.
3. Enchantment Lakes, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington - This lake basin looks like something strait out of a fairytale when you visit in the fall. The lakes themselves are beautiful along with the the surrounding granite peaks, but the golden larches that blanket the basin add that special something that makes this backpacking trip magical.
4. Sabrina Basin, Inyo National Forest, California - All of the little valleys and basins in the Eastern Sierras have incredible scenery, but the backpacking trip I made once to the Sabrina Basin is my favorite due to the endless lakes, high peaks, and quiet solitude. I climbed Mount Wallace during the trip, but one could easily climb several other peaks.
5. Sahale Arm, North Cascades, Washington - The Sahale Arm remains my favorite day hike ever. As a newcomer to the North Cascades, I recall that the first time I went up the Arm, I got better and better views every single moment as I went up the arm, both of the glaciated peaks in the heart of the North Cascades and of enormous fields of wild flowers that turned the Arm white, violet, red, and yellow. It was very nearly sensory overload.