I love spending time in the New Orleans French Quarter. I love the distinctive architecture, the beauty of St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, and, most of all, the music. The street musicians are so much fun to listen to, and on this trip, I also got a chance to go to Preservation Hall for my first live taste of Dixieland jazz. Preservation Hall is kind of old and musty and just plain awesome. We stayed for two sets and loved every minute of it.
Love the picture of Preservation Hall! I am getting married there in Oct this year. I love the feel of it, and u totally captured it in the pic!February 11, 2011 – 6:36 pm
Awesome photo of Preservation Hall. Can’t place the two houses but I’ve seen them before. Very artistic shot. Gives them a certain mystique. The lighting on all of these is photographic perfection!January 15, 2011 – 1:48 pm
These really look great! The photos look like they could be a professional advertisement for the tourist industry for the French Quarter!! Food for thought. :>)January 12, 2011 – 4:27 pm
I’ve never seen my hometown look so good. You’ve done it again!January 12, 2011 – 11:44 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Truc Nguyen. Truc Nguyen said: More from our trip to New Orleans—#FrenchQuarter, #PreservationHall, & #jazz on the blog: http://bit.ly/fqAo61 #Dixielandjazz [...]January 12, 2011 – 1:54 am
Evan and I spent Christmas in New Orleans together for the first time in 2010. I’ve talked before about how much I love his hometown. The food, the music, the history, the sights—from the French Quarter to the swamps … and did I mention the food? This was my longest trip to New Orleans yet, so over a few posts, I’ll share some photos from our excursions. I did a post last year on the Battle of the Beignets where I touted the merits of my favorite beignet shop, Morning Call, over the ever-famous Café du Monde. I can’t visit New Orleans without going to Morning Call at least every other day.
Just look at all those yummy beignets.
And here they are, hot, fresh, and delicious.
And a half hour later, we had a scrumptious crawfish and shrimp etouffee down the street. Ah, I love it. There wasn’t a single day of our trip that we didn’t have great food. Needless to say, we came home more than a few pounds heavier than when we left.
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Oh, I missed this while I was in New Orleans!January 6, 2011 – 3:32 pm
It’s too bad they don’t make sandwiches that good in California. At the same time, New Orleans may have the best food, but California has got the best photographer. 
January 6, 2011 – 3:24 pm
Ah…you are making me hungry again! As far as seafood goes, fortunately, you can find it for breakfast, lunch AND dinner here!!!
I am looking forward to seeing all of the photos you post from your special Christmas in New Orleans.January 6, 2011 – 6:51 am
Evan and I have found that the best way to meld our interests—astronomy and photography—is through astrophotography. Today I’m presenting the first guest post by my resident astronomer, the other half of Bamboo Shoots Photography. Evan annotates our recent photos of the beautiful night sky with some astronomy facts. We love stargazing when we can, but as you might imagine, it’s hard to do that in Los Angeles. Can you believe how many stars you can see when there are no city lights impeding your view?
The first photo shows the eastern sky from the Angeles National Forest about three and a half hours after sunset. You might notice that some stars are red and some are blue. Although you might think that red stars are red hot, the blue stars are actually hotter than the red stars.
In the second photo, you’re looking directly into our Galaxy. The milky streams are actually billions of distant stars. There are too many stars to see them individually. Instead, they form clouds of light. The Greeks thought these looked like rivers of milk, hence the name of our Galaxy, the Milky Way. The dark patches are “dust” clouds in front of the rivers of stars. Some of the dust is made of the same molecules found in car exhaust, so you can think of those clouds as interstellar pollution. In fact, they are the exhaust of stars that exploded long ago.
This last photo shows the heavens juxtaposed with a more terrestrial object: a tree. Above the tree, you might recognize the Pleiades, a cluster of bright stars. Typically, the Pleiades are described as “the Seven Sisters,” but some people see more than seven stars, some fewer. It depends on how dark the sky is and how good your eyes are. If you look closely at this photo, you can probably count a lot more than seven stars in the Pleiades. The seven or so brightest stars are the biggest ones, but there are many more smaller, fainter stars. The Pleiades is a stellar nursery, where stars are born. Our own Sun was probably born in a cluster like the Pleiades.
We had tons of fun taking these photos. Hope you enjoy them too!
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I’m a big star-gazer myself and these photos are stellar (haha). The combination of Truc’s talented photography and Evan’s scientific explanation is perfect! You should post more sets like this one.December 25, 2010 – 5:09 pm
Great photos and star facts. I just watched a PBS special on fractal geometry and these photos seem to be great representations of its basic theory. Both the mountains and the tree seem to be reflected in the star patterns – who knew math could be so beautiful!December 15, 2010 – 4:14 pm
How beautiful!!! I tried to take photos of the night sky on a trip to Africa. The sky was so clear and the stars looked like one could reach up and touch them…they looked so close and vivid. Your photos remind me of those stars in that clear, awesome sky. My photos didn’t do it justice though. Your photos certainly DO capture all of it vividly! Beautiful!December 15, 2010 – 3:04 pm
Those are spectacular photos, and excellent narrative. Thanks for sharing.December 15, 2010 – 2:34 pm
Thanks, May and Chi! May, we spent about half an hour total, trying various camera settings and different parts of the sky. We were up in the mountains, so it was freezing cold! But totally worth it.December 15, 2010 – 1:22 pm
Wonderful photos, with very professional explanations. What a combination! How long did it take you to take these photos?December 15, 2010 – 10:04 am
Wow, these photos are sooo cool. I’ve definitely tried taking photos of stars only to get totally black shots and/or little white streaks everywhere. The first photo is my favorite!December 15, 2010 – 8:33 am
[...] Today I’m presenting the second guest post by my resident astronomer, Evan, the other half of Bamboo Shoots Photography. If you missed our first Los Angeles astrophotography post, check it out here! [...]April 13, 2011 – 3:44 am
A few weeks ago, we visited Mount Baldy with friends. Mt. Baldy is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains and has quite a gorgeous view of the valley. I have to admit I cheated by going up on the ski lift instead of hiking or biking. Next time, I’ll have to drum up the endurance to hike up the peak.
I’ll leave you with this photo of the view from the top. We arrived shortly before sunset, and I’m in love with the blueness of the sky and the way the fog misted over the hills below.
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This is a gorgeous photo! You must have used a star filter for the sun. I love the wispy clouds and the subtle lighting of the bush in the foreground. The lone tree on the hillside nicely sets the mood. Without it, the picture would not have the pizazz that it does. Nice job!November 24, 2010 – 6:33 am
This is a gorgeous photo! You must have used a star filter for the sun. I love the wispy clouds and the subtle lighting of the bush in the foreground. The lone tree on the hillside nicely sets the mood. Without it, the picture would not have the pizzazz that it does. Nice job!November 24, 2010 – 6:32 am
This an awesome nature photo. I love the contrast of the blues and russets. The detail even in the shaded areas highlight the moods of dawn. It would be really cool to see what nature – and you – would do with this same scene in winter, spring, and summer. Post more nature pics. They’re my faves.November 23, 2010 – 7:19 pm
SO BEAUTIFUL, Truc!!! It looks like a perfect spot between retreating and awakening. ~mNovember 23, 2010 – 5:09 pm
Wow, gorgeous photo!! Your talents extend to nature photography, too! But we already knew that from your awesome Griffith Park engagement session and Hawaii vacation photos.November 23, 2010 – 4:40 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Truc Nguyen and Truc Nguyen, Truc Nguyen. Truc Nguyen said: View from #MtBaldy on the blog. http://bit.ly/fFMJRx [...]November 23, 2010 – 4:25 am
Happy Halloween! What better costume for a Caltech astronomy Halloween party than General Relativity? Love this clever costume by one of Evan’s colleagues!
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General Relativity? Really?!!!?November 23, 2010 – 7:22 pm
Disclaimer: I’m a nerdy astronomer. Comment: Best costume ever!November 1, 2010 – 2:02 pm
I haven’t talked too much about what the other half of Bamboo Shoots Photography does when he’s not being my second shooter and unofficial business partner. Evan’s an astronomer and Hubble Fellow at Caltech. As it turns out, he’s now famous on the web, thanks to Conan O’Brien and his “Conan Takes Your Questions” series. This video has gotten no fewer than 46,638 hits on YouTube as of this morning. Caution: Rated PG-13 and may make you laugh out loud.
While you’re here, book a Holiday Mini Session! These are super affordable mini portrait sessions that will get you gorgeous family photos for the holidays. Spots are filling up fast, so there are only a couple spots left on October 9, October 23, and October 30 in Pasadena. Book today by e-mailing truc@bambooshootsphoto.com or calling (626) 298-2946! Or just click on the CONTACT link on the menu at the top! For more details on our Holiday Mini Session Special for 2010, click here!
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It’s funny!!!
However, switch Conan’s microphone with yours before answering the question next time so that he can’t take advantage of you.
Great job, Evan!!!September 29, 2010 – 3:21 pm
Wow, 62K people have seen 14-year-old child genius Evan Kirby already! That’s a sizable fan club.
I always knew I’d find another way to get famous, and now I’ve got one. Two degrees of separation to Conan O’Brien. Woohoo! Thanks, Evan!September 29, 2010 – 2:16 pm
Love it! That’s hilarious, and Evan did a great job!September 29, 2010 – 1:58 pm
If you’ve been on the blog long enough, you’ll know that I love food. I’m partial to desserts, but really, I just love to eat in general. As much as I like the sights and scenes when I travel, I like even more the fact that I get to eat lots of different foods. Especially seafood. Not much is better than good seafood. The most delectable, melt-in-your-mouth scallops served on a sherry mushroom sauce; soft shell crab fried in a light batter served with ponzu, wasabi, and pickled ginger sauces; coconut prawns, bacon-wrapped prawns, and scampi prawns …
Hope you’re not too hungry.
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WOW….looks delicious!!!!!!!! Alot better than what we’re eating tonight. I wish I could taste it right off the page. :>)August 15, 2010 – 2:53 pm
I want to eat it again. You’ve made it look just as delicious as it was: one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten.August 2, 2010 – 6:02 pm
The prawns hooked me in. You know soft shell crabs creep me out though those look yummy if you like things like that. I love scallops, too. It makes me glad I’m heading to Maine on Saturday so I can get my fill of good, cheap lobster and clam chowder – New England style because there is no other kind for me.August 2, 2010 – 11:56 am
Summertime in our household means that the blender is always out and ready to make fruit smoothies. We can’t go a week without making one or two. They’re just so cool and refreshing, easy to make, and healthy, which is certainly more than I can say for my other summer weaknesses. Our favorite flavors are mango, berry, and peach. We also occasionally make more uncommon ones like avocado or jackfruit. I know those may sound unappealing to some, but they’re actually very tasty!
This one happens to be a mix of blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and raspberries, and sometimes we add tea for a little kick. I love the amazing purple that comes out from this blend. Isn’t the color luscious?
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My favorite – blueberry, strawberry, yogurt, and peach, with lots of ice on a summer dayJuly 25, 2010 – 8:29 pm
I have to say that I’m pretty lucky to be married to the Smoothie Superhero!July 22, 2010 – 5:09 pm
Ooooooooh Truc!!! Here you go again with the yummy stuff….keep it up. It looks “plum delicious”~~
Also, I’ve gained 5 pounds just looking at those cupcakes. :>)July 22, 2010 – 10:44 am
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