I’m still recuperating from my trip to Asia, hence it’s why this post is on a Monday and not a Sunday. Hopefully, I’ll be back to posting for Lens-Artists Photo Challenge on Sundays this week. Anyway, Tina is the host for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge and she’s asking us to pick 5 favorites. Here are my 5 favorite photos from my trip.

This was a lucky shot, in my opinion. I love catching things in action, like that wave getting ready to crash onto the shore. This was in Yehliu, Taiwan. It was a beautiful day to visit the GeoPark, which is park full of rock formation right next to the ocean. It was also a good day to bring out my big camera.

I had been using my DSLR sparingly on this trip, because with the super-zoom lens on, it can be a burden to carry around, especially in hot humid weather and when I’m in a hurry to catch the next bus. So I opted to take photos with my phone.

Anyway, I remember trying to capture a wave all day in the midst of crashing but I didn’t capture it until this spur of the moment shot.

This shot of Taipei during sunset is also my favorite. I love how the city was bathed in an orange-yellowish glow as the sun sank below the horizon. You can also see the evening rush-hour traffic in the distance as people head home after a long day of work. I also love how the orange haze made the mountains look painting-esque.

This was taken in the mountain behind the hotel we were staying in. My mom and I decided to take a hike up to watch the sunset and after about a million stair-steps, we made it to about the half-way point.

I love a good shot from a high vantage point such as this, from the 89th floor of Taipei 101. It’s a must when visiting a large city. When we visit a large city and I would ooh and aw at the cityscapes, my mom would laugh and say, “虾仔入大城,” which translates, “little shrimp enters the big city.”

I don’t live in the city. Even if I do work in Salt Lake City, it’s nothing to Taipei or Tokyo. It can’t even compare to say, New York City. So if I visit a large metropolis such as Taipei, excuse me for oohing and awing at the buildings and skyscrapers.

These have to be the fattest fishes I’ve ever seen.

I saw this in Suizenji Koen (garden) when I visited Kumamoto during my recent trip. I imagine this photo would look a lot different on a sunny day. Unfortunately, during our 5-day stay there, it was either pouring rain or cold and gloomy. Of the entire stay, we only had about 2 hours of blue skies and sunshine.

This photo is one of my personal favorites on this trip because this photo makes me feel calm and zen. I also love that when I composed this photo on my phone, I composed it with a painting-esque feel in my mind.

I hope looking at this photo makes you feel calm, too.

After last week’s Lens-Artist challenge, I must include this bird in my gallery of personal favorites.

If you asked me what I want to capture in photos on this trip, I would’ve told you cityscapes, skyscrapers… wildlife is the last thing on my mind on trip like this. This photo was captured on the same day of the first photo. My mom and I needed a break from the walking, so we decided to rest.

As I sat at the picnic table examining my photos of the day, this bird was jibber-jabbering up above in the trees. So I decided to seek it out. The birds I usually see at home are ravens and seagulls, so it was very interesting to see a different variety of birds. I remember chasing it as it hopped from branch to branch until the auto-focus on my camera no longer worked and I was forced to switch to manual-focus. “Just sit still for a minute,” I urged.

For a moment, it obeyed, giving me an opportunity to capture the photo before it flew to another branch.