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Michael on the Island Queen Cruise ready to explore Biscayne Bay. Not quite his usual exotic adventure.

Cheryl works to get the bunny ears on Michael.

Our fearless leader Paul on the cruise. No attempts at conch shell blowing this year.

The Miami skyline as most vessels were motoring a bit faster than us.

Kuni works his overseas photo skills, or at least photos on the sea.

Okay, our skipper said this home belongs to Gloria Estefan but we didn’t see her for the paparazzi moment.

At the Gala Banquet, as you can see everyone likes to hang with the photographers.

The beauty table at the silent auction.

Why is Eugene smiling? Because he won a prize and what happens where he’s going, stays where he’s going.

Students were in the hot-seat with live photo critiques during the opening of the Friday photo session. Photographers were able to talk to photo editors during the convention about their images.

Michael, right, talks to photographers after giving his presentation on his project for National Geographic of world explorer Zheng He.

Therese, center, goes over some of her images in the photo room at the convention.

Kuni takes questions regarding photography overseas.

Therese takes in the sights of South Beach.

More South Beach explorers who braved the humidity.

Andrew and Dai give their multimedia sessions Thursday at the AAJA convention. Video, slideshows, hybrid packages. Lots of great information.

You can find some of the great information they talked about on

• New York Times – http://www.nytimes.com/pages/multimedia/
• San Jose Mercury News – http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com
• News University – http://www.newsu.org
• Sound Dogs royalty free music – http://www.sounddogs.com
• Netvibes – http://www.netvibes.com
• del.icio.us – http://del.icio.us/
• MultimediaShooter – http://multimediashooter.com/
• Lightstalkers – http://www.lightstalkers.org

The photographer’s dinner at Versailles Restaurant.

Some mojitos around the table.

Eugene, Marc and Stan talk photojournalism at Versailles Restaurant.

Cheryl and Eugene in the photo room during auction photo set-up.

Prints framed for the photo auciton.

AAJA members take a tour of the Knight Concert Hall in Miami before the opening reception.

Eugene shoots the concert hall

Taiko drummers open the AAJA convention.

The opening night crowd at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.

Corky, Leah, James and Baron at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts for the AAJA opening night reception. I think Corky is begging for more appetizers to be sent our way.

After dinner at the Mambo Restaurant. Great cuban food and great mojitos at Bayside.

It’s coming folks. Here’s the convention info.

Still Life Images by Barry Wong

An Invitation to a Gallery Opening at Kobo at Higo
Saturday December. 2, 2006. 6-8 p.m.
Kobo at Higo. 602-608 S. Jackson St. Seattle, WA 98104. In the International District

For more info:
http://homepage.mac.com/wongphoto/koboshow/content/index.html

Dennis Oda at Kalahikiola Congregational Church in Kohala, Hawaii providing ongoing coverage of the Hawaii earthquake.

Fellow AAJA photog Joyce Lin blogs about her climbing accident recently that she is recovering from. The above frame-grab is from video shot in June as she does her best to sound a conch shell.

Lin said although she’s alive her camera isn’t. The body, battery and even memory card died in the fall. Lin said the dead camera luckily was her backup camera. But she’s pretty tough as she’s blogging with broken wrists. *ouch!*

Some photos from Lia Chang of the 2006 Hawaii convention.

1st Place: Tue Nam Ton
2nd Place: Joyce Lin
3rd Place: Stella Lee
4th Place: Mike Schennum
5th Place: Kristina Sangsaha
6th Place: David Kranz
7th Place: Ray Wong
8th Place: Jennifer Dronkers

PHOTOSHOOTOUT

The theme of this year’s Annual PhotoShootOut Competition “HIT THE BEACH!” is based on the belief that anything goes on the beach. The first-place winner’s name will be inscribed on the national Dith Pran Trophy, named in honor of the AAJA member and New York Times photographer Dith Pran, whose life as a survivor of the Cambodian holocaust was portrayed in the movie “The Killing Fields.”

Judges:
Dennis Oda, Honolulu Star-Bulletin staff photographer
Eugene Tanner, Orange County Register photo editor and former Honolulu Advertiser staff photographer
Greg Yamamoto, Honolulu Advertiser staff photographer

There were $2,000 in photo prizes.

First place receives a Canon digital camera donated from Canon and perpetual trophy with winners name on it.
Tue Nam Ton, Contra Costa Times staff photographer. (five photos)

Second place receives ThinkTankPhoto.com camera bag donated by ThinkThankPhoto.
Joyce Lin , UCLA photo student (four photos)

Third place receives a 2 GB Compact Flash card donated by Sandisk.
Stella Lee, Ohio University photo student (four photos)

Fourth Place: 2 GB compact flash card donated by Sandisk.
Mike Schennum, Arizona Republic staff photographer (one photo)

Fifth place: 2 GB compact flash card donated by Sandisk.
Kristina Sangsaha, San Francisco State University photo student
(one photo)

Sixth place: Nikon backpack.
David Kranz, University of California at Berkeley photo student (one photo)

Seventh place: Dinner with Dith Pran, Ray Wong, Middle Tennessee State University (three photos)

Eighth place: Dinner with Dith Pran, Jennifer Dronkers, Ohio University photo student. (two photo)