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July 17, 2012 at 09:22 AM 275 89 17

Photo by Kris Koeller - Gap China
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Photo by Kris Koeller

This week in stores across China, Gap is shipping a women's logo t-shirt featuring one of my photos. I took many photos of the Hong Kong skyline from Victoria Harbor during my visit in 2007. I have a number of contacts at Gap China, so when the graphics department needed photos of Hong Kong, I heroically stepped forward. Click here to see the shirt on the Gap China online store. The Gap women's logo tee The Gap women's logo tee on a model The original source photo is included below: T...

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July 8, 2012 at 03:27 PM 214 30 13

Two Tall Buildings in Hong Kong
 Asia, China, Hong Kong

When I was in Hong Kong two weeks ago, I made a point to visit a few of the more impressive skyscrapers that adorn the skyline. My hotel happened to be next door to the International Commerce Center, the currently-reinging Tallest Building in Hong Kong. For $15, you can ride up to its 100th floor observatory for breath-taking views over Kowloon and Victoria Harbor. Photos are a challenge because of the angled, double-pane glass makes which makes reflections almost insurmountable. The photo below...

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July 1, 2012 at 05:35 AM 169 13 3

HDR Photo of Hong Kong
 Asia, China, HDR, Hong Kong

I mentioned in my previous post that I had moved away from doing HDR photography last year, but recently I've been easing back into it. In this photo, the HDR does a nice job of bring out the colors in an over-stated, but not over-the-top way. Any advice on how to remove the noise is welcome. HDR Photo of the Hong Kong skyline (click to enlarge)...

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June 29, 2012 at 03:34 AM 204 29 17

Greetings from Shanghai!
 Asia, China, Shanghai

The second stop on my trip to China was Shanghai. I left Hong Kong Wednesday night and got into Shanghai late that evening. I had a full day of meetings on Thursday, but went to dinner with the team in Xin Tian Di (the fashionable restaurant district) followed by a walk on the Bund, the famed waterfront overlooking the Pudong skyline. It was incredibly hot and humid, and a thick fog hung over the whole city. I didn't bother trying to recreate a photo from a prior trip, although these photos will...

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June 26, 2012 at 12:36 PM 252 49 20

Greetings from Hong Kong!
 Asia, China, HDR, Hong Kong

I've been in Hong Kong since Sunday on a rather last-minute work assignment. Its been a busy week, but I was able to sneak out later tonight and take some photos along Victoria Harbor in Kowloon. The iconic skyline of Hong Kong has been photographed many times, and I probably have hundreds of similar/identical photos from my last visit in 2007. It was late and I didn't have a lot of time, so I took a few unremarkable photos below, but spent most of the time trying to recreate a much-commented ph...

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June 25, 2012 at 12:00 PM 72 11 4

Dinner at Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Instagram, iPhone

When in Asia, I always try to make a stop at one of Taiwan's Din Tai Fung outlets for terrific soup dumplings. View on instagram.


 

June 24, 2012 at 09:23 AM 61 14 3

Pho 24
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Instagram, iPhone, Vietnam

When we traveld to Vietnam, we made a point of eating a bowl of pho nearly every day, and often from Pho 24. Their Hong Kong location is much fancier than the ones in Vietnam, but the food was just as terrific and still cheap (by Hong Kong standards). View on instagram.


 

June 24, 2012 at 04:38 AM 70 6 1

100 Floors above Kowloon
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Instagram, iPhone

From the 100th floor observation deck atop Hong Kong's tallest building. View on instagram.


 

March 11, 2012 at 10:07 PM 162 47 7

The Chiang Family Wedding in Beijing
 Asia, Beijing, China, The Chiangs

I'm pretty behind on processing photos from our trip to Beijing in January 2012. Here are some photos from Calvin and Melody's wedding in Beijing, the reason for our trip. I don't have many pictures of the bride and groom, but got some of the Chiangs (Tchiang on her uncle's side of the family). The Chiangs: Peter & Deborah (Jessica's parents) and Jessica Family friends Eric & Dante, Julianna & John Tchiang (Jessica's aunt and uncle) The Laws: Jennifer (Jessica's cousin), Phillip & Mary La...

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March 10, 2012 at 05:45 PM 81 7 4

The Summer Palace in Winter
 Asia, Beijing, China

Still culling the archives from our January 2012 trip to Beijing, this one of the Summer Palace taken on a brutally cold January afternoon.


 

February 27, 2012 at 07:50 PM 174 35 12

The Opposite House Hotel in Beijing, China
 Asia, Beijing, China, Hotels

Tripadvisor is a terrific resource, and one we use heavily when planning any upcoming trip. We put a lot of energy into deciding on a hotel, always seeking out those innovative, up-and-coming and unique places that really make for a memorable vacation. The candid traveler photos on Tripadvisor really give you a sense of the place, showing you firsthand what the rooms, bathrooms, amenities look like without careful staging or studio lighting. As much as I've been an avid Tripadvisor user, I've no...

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February 4, 2012 at 06:19 PM 173 48 11

A Smoggy Day Stuck at the Beijing Airport
 Asia, Beijing, China, Daily Photo

We flew from Harbin to Beijing on the evening of January 9, 2012. We planned to stay the night at an airport hotel as we had an early flight to Taipei the next morning. When we arrived, there was a thick smoke in the air, and the massive airport was filled with a soft haze. It smelled like Yosemite, as if there were hundreds of nearby campfires burning. By the morning, the overnight fog had combined with this smoke to form an impenetrable layer of filth that entirely obscured the sky. It was unt...

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January 23, 2012 at 07:18 PM 919 96 29

The Harbin, China Snow & Ice Festival
 Asia, China, Harbin, Travelogue

Aside from the wedding in Beijing, the highlight of our trip to China was a brief overnight visit to the city of Harbin in northeast China. Harbin is home to the Harbin International Snow & Ice Festival, the largest winter carnival in the world. The 2012 Festival started on January 5, so we traveled 2 hours north of Beijing to see the enormous snow and ice sculptures that are the hallmark of the event. We left Beijing the morning after the wedding for an easy 2-hour flight on luxurious Air Chi...

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January 11, 2012 at 07:50 PM 363 52 12

Tour of the Summer Palace: Beijing, China
 Asia, Beijing, China, Museums, Travelogue

We arrived in Beijing on January 4 and had a few days for sightseeing before the wedding on January 7. Jessica's Uncle John, the groom's father, arranged a number of bus tours for visitors to see the sights of Beijing. We skipped the Great Wall having done that during our visit in 2010, but caught a ride with the city tour headed to the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace. The Palace Museum is the proper name for the Forbidden City, and since we had seen that already, we split from the group and...

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January 6, 2012 at 11:49 PM 240 47 26

Ni Hao from Beijing, China!
 Asia, Beijing, China, The Chiangs

We've been in Beijing since Wednesday of this week, in town to attend Jessica's cousin Calvin's wedding. The entire Chiang family is here from the Bay Area, Taiwan and points in between. We arrived a few days early to do a bit of sightseeing, but since we were here last year there weren't too many stops to make. Jessica's uncle organized a number of bus tours around town, so we hopped in a few and visited the the Qianmen Shopping district, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Imperial ...

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September 23, 2011 at 08:12 PM 574 76 5

Daily Photo: Welcome to Gap Hong Kong
 Asia, China, Daily Photo, Hong Kong

Jessica just returned from another whirlwind trip through China, stopping to visit the construction sites of new Gap stores opening in November of this year. If you're headed to Hong Kong, be sure to add this to your shopping list (because after all, you can't really find those stores in the US).


 

August 30, 2011 at 01:14 PM 342 16 8

Daily Photo: The Big Buddha on Lantau Island, Hong Kong
 Asia, China, Daily Photo, HDR, Hong Kong, Lantau Island

I posted some photos from Hong Kong the other day, and later I was sifting through the archives and found a number of bracketed, RAW images I had shot with a tripod but had never processed into HDR photos. If that makes no sense, no worries. The point is I found a number of great images that I've spent some time re-processing for inclusion here. Today's photo was taken about halfway up the hike toward the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. There were a number of statues at the base, each offering gift...

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August 26, 2011 at 12:05 PM 302 13 9

Daily Photo: Po Lin Monastery, Lantau Island Hong Kong
 Asia, China, Daily Photo, Hong Kong, Lantau Island

During my tour of southeast Asia in 2007, I made a day trip from Hong Kong to Lantau Island. I went to see the Giant Buddha, which lives up to its name - its one giant Buddha, but I was surprised at the many other interesting things to see on the island. The photo below is the gate to the Po Lin Monastery, and from there you can visit the Giant Buddha (biggest in the world!) and many points of interest along a terrific hike high above the coast. One day is sufficient, and highly recommended. ...

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August 22, 2011 at 04:05 PM 125 14 6

Daily Photo: The Great Wall of China at Mu Tian Yu
 Asia, Beijing, China, Daily Photo, HDR

Last September we traveled to Beijing and Shanghai, first spending three days in China's capital. There were many highlights of that visit, among them our trip to the Mu Tian Yu section of the Great Wall. It was a terribly hot and hazy day, but we hiked a good section of the wall and loved having most of the place to ourselves. The Great Wall at Mu Tian Yu (HDR photo, click to enlarge) Related posts: Travels to China: Three days in Beijing A collection of posts from Beijing Browse the Dail...

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May 7, 2011 at 09:54 AM 365 22 10

Photo by Kris Koeller - National Geographic
 Asia, Beijing, China, Europe, France, Paris, Photo by Kris Koeller, Photography

I've entered a few photos in the annual National Geographic photo contest. If you wouldn't mind, please visit these two photos and Like them on Facebook and/or Tweet them to your followers. Click on each photo below to visit their page on the National Geographic Photo Contest: Update: The photo from Paris made the Week 5 Editors' gallery for Sense of Place. The contest ends in July....

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November 30, 2010 at 08:44 PM 155 3 0

Highlighted Travel Photos: On the Bund in Shanghai
 Asia, China, Photography, Shanghai

We took these right before the amazing Bund Tour, but didn't include them on the blog. It was a great day with a terrific view of the Pudong skyline in the background. That's not the Adventure Shirt, but its a good candidate.


 

November 12, 2010 at 05:06 PM 207 15 3

My Recent Travels to Cuba, Iran and North Korea
 Asia, China, Shanghai, Travelogue

When I was in Shanghai, I spent a day at the World Expo. There was a time where hosting the World Expo was bigger than the Olympics, and its still is a big deal, but its much more "So What" than "Oh Wow." In short, if you were in the vicinity and had the time, go check it out. But if you intended to travel the world to see the Expo, you had better have a good grasp of your expectations. The Chinese Pavilion was by far the largest. The Expo opened in June of this year and ran through Octobe...

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November 10, 2010 at 09:34 PM 84 3 1

Welcome to Gap China!
 Asia, China, Shanghai

Doors are open!


 

October 19, 2010 at 11:59 AM 202 2 4

More Pictures from Shanghai
 Asia, China, Photography, Shanghai

When we got back from China and Japan, I had thousands of photos to sort through and got distracted doing other things.  After our few days of walking tours around Shanghai, I went back to the Bund at night to take some evening photos.  I was unprepared for the crowds.  The sea of humanity was crushing, and it was difficult to find a spot to set a tripod without getting tussled about by the crowds. If you did set down a tripod, a crowd would gather behind you to see what you ...

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October 1, 2010 at 06:41 PM 261 7 0

Photo by Kris Koeller - Birkenstock
 Asia, China, Photo by Kris Koeller, Shanghai

The folks at Birkenstock liked my photo from the top of the Shanghai World Financial Center, so much so they put it on their blog. I'm sure you all read the Birkenstock blog, but if you don't, check it out here. Click here to see my photo on The Official Birkenstock Blog


 

September 23, 2010 at 10:06 PM 1332 31 7

Travels to China: Three Days in Shanghai
 Asia, China, Hipstamatic, Shanghai, Travelogue, Video

The next stop on our trip through China was Shanghai. Shanghai is China's biggest city, home to about 20 million people (there are about 14 million in Beijing). As impressive as those numbers might be, keep in mind there are over 25 cities in China with more than a million residents. Shanghai is also the most cosmopolitan city in China, and aside from Hong Kong, likely has the most international flair. While Beijing is still the capital for government, the military and the Communist Party, Shang...

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September 20, 2010 at 07:00 PM 210 16 4

More Pictures from Beijing
 Asia, Beijing, China, HDR, Photography, Travelogue

I've been digging through thousands of photos and decided to share a few others from our trip to Beijing and the Great Wall.   Along the Great Wall at Mu Tian Yu.  An HDR photo of the Great Wall at Mu Tian Yu.  The hazy sunlight was tricky for taking photos, but the HDR process helps cut through a bit.  The HDR process takes three differently exposed photos and combines them in the computer to bring out the full range of visible light.  The result can sometimes be a bit surreal, as in this p...

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September 11, 2010 at 09:25 PM 157 4 0

Walking Toward to Jing An Park
 Asia, China, Hipstamatic, Shanghai

It rained like mad today.


 

September 10, 2010 at 09:40 AM 176 4 0

Great Eats at Yang's Fried Dumplings
 Asia, China, Hipstamatic, Shanghai

Big shout out to Elaine for the recommendation.


 

September 8, 2010 at 02:25 AM 162 7 0

Looking Down on Shanghai
 Asia, China, Shanghai

From the 100th floor of the World Financial Center. We watched the sun set and the lights come up on the Bund.


 

September 7, 2010 at 06:25 AM 43 2 0

On the Bund - Shanghai
 Asia, China, HDR, Shanghai

Beautiful day on the waterfront.


 

September 6, 2010 at 11:44 AM 389 15 12

Travels to China: Three Days in Beijing
 Asia, Beijing, China, Hipstamatic, Travelogue, Video

Greetings from the Peoples' Republic of China! We're about three days into a three week trip to China and Japan, stopping in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Our first three days were spent visiting the capital city of Beijing. Most of the guide books will tell you that three days is enough, and I would mostly agree. You can see the more interesting sights around the city in a few days, and you'll want to add another day for a trip to the Great Wall. We left New York on Thursday aft...

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September 5, 2010 at 05:00 AM 169 9 0

The Forbidden City
 Asia, Beijing, China, Hipstamatic

A pretty amazing place. It was hot, hazy, humid and humanity-laden. Had a great time.


 

September 4, 2010 at 10:55 AM 105 10 1

Roast Duck at Dadong in Beijing
 Asia, Beijing, China, Hipstamatic

The city's top-rated signature dish (or autograph dish, as the menu states) does not disappoint. The Peking roast duck at Dadong is the best you'll ever have.


 

September 4, 2010 at 01:40 AM 130 6 0

The Great Wall at Mutian Yu
 Asia, Beijing, China, Hipstamatic

We hiked almost all of the Great Wall today. Well, at least all of this section. Great day; nice weather and no crowds.


 

September 3, 2010 at 10:45 AM 141 4 0

Ding Ding Xian Hot Pot in Beijing
 Asia, Beijing, China, Hipstamatic

For our first meal in China, no surprises here. The food was excellent, far better than the turkey hot dog croissant on the plane


 

September 2, 2010 at 10:35 AM 153 17 2

My Ride
 Asia, Beijing, China, Hipstamatic, Japan, Shanghai

6,800 miles from Newark to Beijing in 13 hours.


 

September 1, 2010 at 11:10 PM 131 10 0

Off to China
 Asia, Beijing, China, Japan, Shanghai, Tokyo

Traveling the next three weeks to China and Japan. First stop, Beijing.


 

July 16, 2007 at 12:46 AM 98 3 4

Pictures Posted: Hong Kong
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Photography

Pictures from my trip to Hong Kong, Lantau and Macau are now posted. Click to view pictures of Hong Kong


 

June 19, 2007 at 05:48 AM 54 4 12

Macau and the Amazing Race
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Travelogue

Today I set aside for a day trip to Macau, the island-state I also described as the Las Vegas of Asia. Macau was a colony of Portugal for over 400 years, and was the seat of Christianity and Jesuit missions throughout Asia. Funny how that devout background has evolved. Unable to compete with Hong Kong as a major financial market and trade bureau into Indochina, Macau gave up and instead focused on becoming world-class purveyors of gambling, opium and prostitution ? all with remarkable success...

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June 18, 2007 at 08:17 AM 92 8 11

Buddha Call!
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Travelogue

Today I took the ferry over to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha. Everyone I talked to and every guide book I read said you must go see the Big Buddha. I got off the ferry, and there were signs pointing to the buses to take you to the Big Buddha. When I got there, it is in fact, a Big Buddha. Seldom do tourist draws live up to their hype. The fact that this one was so remarkably under hyped, made its realization that much more satisfactory. Its called Big Buddha because the statue of Bu...

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June 17, 2007 at 10:47 AM 92 4 6

Welcome to Hong Kong! (or, You're Not in Tokyo Anymore)
 Asia, China, Hong Kong, Travelogue

I?ve been in Hong Kong since Thursday night. I wanted to spend a few days getting to know the city a bit before writing about it. I?ve been taking lots of pictures. Hong Kong is an incredibly photogenic place, with its eclectic mixture of modern buildings and other progressive structures. The city is also one of the densest human settlements on earth, which also makes it interesting to explore. Hong Kong is the 36th largest economy in the world. 36 may not sound impressive, but consndieri...

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Copyright kriskoeller.com. All rights reserved. 10:41 AM November 6, 2012