My Cameras and My Works

People say a picture is worthy a thousand words. I am an amateur photographer and self studied photo techniques. I do not own a great deal of photo equipment but my work ethnic is to take pictures everywhere I go and everywhere I feel a passion about. I can call myself a photo journalist because my picture works are possibility closed to the reality and I do minimum photography modifications. My photo journal works have been quiet exciting learning experiences.

I was born and raised in Shanghai, and educated in the United States. I have interested in art and photography since I was young. In 1983, I purchased first Chinese made point & shoot camera and photo enlarge equipment. Thus, I learned how to develop black and white photos at my home studio in Shanghai. Later, I got my first Chinese made Shanghai Seagull DF-1 SLR camera with 50 mm and 200 mm lenses, and later I got Ricoh KR-10 SLR camera with 28 mm lens. Shooting pictures with SLR cameras was a great change for my works.

I felt in love of my SLR cameras, and I would be able to get few zoom lenses. I took many pictures, but favorite subjects were street scenes, people, animals and zoo, stage and circus acrobatic shows. I even took screen shots during the time I was working at a movie theater. In 1985, I immigrated to the United States. I have great opportunities to see art and photography works at the museums and galleries in the US and around the World. I also graduated B.S. from Cal State Northridge as majoring in Accountancy.

In the mid-1980s I got my first Nikon FG-20 SLR and first Canon EOS 650 SLR cameras and began to take pictures of buildings and city landscapes. When automatic zoom lens introduced to the market in the mid-1990s, I changed SLR film cameras to Minolta 600si, 700si and 800si. I have used traditional One Hour Photoshop to develop and print my pictures but it was not convenience and very expensive costs. I also tried to scan some pictures to my computer that it can have digital images.

In 2001, Canon came out its first generation digital camera Powershot G1, and it was a new chapter for Photography World. I was first one right on that. Later, I also owned Canon Powershot G3, S80 and G7. Computer and digital camera technologies have been improving dramatically as years go by. I purchased my first digital SLR camera Canon EOS Rebel 450D with 12 megapixel, and later added Canon Powershot S90 in 2008. In addition, I also own Canon EOS 7D with 18 megapixel in 2012-2015. In June 2015, I have purchased first full frame DSLR Canon EOS 5D3. I learn taking pictures from my past work experiences and ready to take photography into the next stage of job development.

Welcome to the Millennium Age of 21 Century. My passion of photography is growing to the new stage with metropolitan people, urban culture, art and architecture. Robert Capa said that if your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough. My favorite America cityscape places are New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. For the past few decades China has been changing in a fast path and emerging in the new World Century. I have been traveling back to my homeland many times. Because I like to take my camera everywhere I go, and it captures the moment that never occurs again. I have seen many fascinated places, so I wish my photography works can bring me back the storytelling memories again. Last, if your camera can't see the forest for the trees, you can't see the whole situation.

If you inteterest in my work and please feel free to reach me at: robertkoo@sbcglobal.net

Robert Koo

June 2015

Cameras:

- Canon EOS 5DIII

- Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSI)

- Canon Powershot S90

- Canon EOS 650 (Film SLR)

Lens:

- Canon EF 28-70mm / F3.5-4.5 Auto

- Canon EF-S 18-55mm / F3.5-4.5 IS

- Canon EF-S 55-250mm / F4-5.6 IS

- Canon EF 24mm / F2.8 IS

- Canon EF 35mm / F2.0 IS

- Canon EF 50mm / F1.8 II

- Canon EF 85mm / F1.8

- Canon EF 16-35mm / F4L IS

- Canon EF 24-105mm / F4L IS

- Canon EF 70-200mm / F4L IS

- Canon 270EX II Flash