Yalumi Headlamp Review

In my last post, I've talked briefly about these headlamps and how invaluable they have become in our everyday life in the city with the dogs. We no longer have the luxury of letting the dogs out in the backyard, so now have to schedule in time for their walks three times a day, everyday, rain or shine. And once we started to lose daylight hours, we quickly ran into the challenge of walking dogs in the dark. I considered carrying around a flashlight, but decided that I would much like to have both my hands free to be able to handle the dogs and also to deal with picking up their "business"...so, I started to consider headlamps. I was a bit skeptical of their effectiveness, and I also was not so keen on walking around in public with one of these on my head unless I'm in the wilderness somewhere hiking or camping, but I eventually talked myself into at least trying one.

After doing some research and spending some time at REI, I was set on purchasing the Petzl Tikka model. I decided that for our needs, we would be fine with the most basic model without all the bells and whistles like the red light function or the rechargeable capability. I basically wanted a very simple unit that is bright enough for quick walks, is lightweight, and one with a tilting capability to control the beam direction.

I found the Yalumi headlamp by chance on Amazon when I went to place my order for the Petzl. It had comparable specifications, had over 1000 solid positive reviews, and it was half the price of Petzl at $15. Somewhat skeptical, I went ahead and bought it and I'm really glad that I did. It's been about 3 weeks and since then I purchased another one in different color so that we can both wear one, and we use it everyday now, both in the morning and at night. They are super bright (90 lumens) and allow us to see everything immediately in front of us, as well as alarming us to what's ahead. It has 3 different settings--low, high, and strobe and it is controlled with a simple click of a button on top of the unit. 95% of time, I keep it on the high setting. Each unit came with 3 AAA batteries and I haven't had to change them out yet, and I plan on switching to the rechargeable NiMH batteries once these wear out. For $15, I this is one of the best purchases I've ever made, and I highly recommend it for any dog owners out there.

I got the green for myself!

yellow button on top controls the 3 settings

4 different tilt angles allows for bean direction control

on our walk

I took a quick video on my phone on one of our walks. It's not very good, but you can at least get a rough idea:

12 Months of Jasper: September - The budding artist

This was my Submission for September. I had a vision of how I wanted this photo to be, but I'm not sure that I was able to capture it fully. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it, and Jasper was a perfect model and an artist! On a side note, I really want to get back to doing some traditional artwork...

"Here's Jasper and his altered self-portrait. He tells me his inspirations were Picasso and Margaret Keane. :)"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 39/52 - apple harvest...sort of

Since moving to the Northwest, we are constantly amazed by all the natural beauty that surrounds us, and we've been enjoying all the interesting flowers and plants everywhere, some which are new to us. We spotted these cute little miniature "apples" on one of our walks this week and we had to do something with them! Since posting on Flickr, I've learned that these are crabapples--usually not harvested for consumption due to their sour/bitter taste and the trees are ornamental, producing beautiful white/pink flowers in the Spring...something to look forward to!

they look just like regular apples, except for the tiny size!

Submission for 52 Weeks of Misty: 39/52

Perfect for my miniature wheelbarrow! 

12 Months of Misty & Jasper: September - "Hold my paw, I'm scared of the dark!"

My submission for the 12 months group. This was a tough shoot--trying to keep the headlamps on the dogs while balancing the ambient light and the headlamp light for the right exposure proved to be more difficult than I initially thought. At the end though, I was able to salvage a couple of photos which I really liked, especially the one of the two of them with their touching paws.

On a side note, we really like these headlamps and I promise to do a review post soon!

"One of the adjustments to a city life is having to walk the dogs three times a day, rain or shine, and now in darkness as daylight gets shorter and shorter. Safety trumps vanity, and headlamps are now our new favorite gadget! :)"

touching paws...so sweet :)

submission for 52 Weeks: 38/52 - "I can see you~"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 37/52 - strike a pose

Submission for 34/52:

"As New York Fashion Week gets underway, Misty complains, "I have nothing to wear!"

Misty looking like a diva!

9.10.2015: trying my hand at instagram

Still playing catch-up, but making good headway...I'm now caught up to June. Yay! So, in my last post, I briefly hinted at toying with the idea of branching out into other social media platforms. Well, since then, I have started an Instagram account. Actually, it's an old account which I never did much with, so I'm sort of reviving it.

Since Instagram's first inception back in 2010, I've always loved the app, but never quite figured out how to incorporate it into my photography needs. I already had a Flickr account since 2009, so to me it almost seemed redundant. Besides, Instagram seemed too "informal" and more fitting for those casual snapshots taken with your low resolution camera phone...back then, I owned the iPhone 3G. I balked at the idea of uploading photos taken with my DSLR camera, and cropping them to fit a square format when that wasn't the original intent.

Well, fast forward 5 years and here we are today...camera phones have steadily improved and can now match the quality and resolution of a stand alone camera...I now own (and love!) the LG G4, and Instagram has recently lifted their square-only format rule! For these reasons, I have decided that perhaps it's a good time for me to hop on the Instagram bandwagon...or at least give it a try. If nothing else, it'll be a good outlet for my "phonetography", and it'll also serve as a place for me to post all my old photos. I think it'll be fun...for those interested, you can follow me @yookyland. Here are some of the photos I've posted so far:

cold morning walk on the beach

cozy...

"whatcha doin'?"

the art of relaxation

last bit of summer...

pondering...

Jasper's paw

what was once Misty's favorite toy...

why we love summer...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 36/52 - "what is this?"

Yay, looks like I'm just about caught up to date on all my posts! I still have some old stuff which I hope to revisit and include, but at least I'm caught up on syncing my Flickr group photos. Hopefully from this point on, I can be more on top of things and devote more time to some new stuff. Anyways, here's my Submission for 36/52:

"We see these tomato-like vegetation growing happily everywhere in our neighborhood--I have yet to taste one, but Misty is not too curious either way."

Since posting the picture on Flickr, some of the members of my group have identified the mystery fruit as rose hip and I have also since learned that there are many beneficial uses for these. According to Wikipedia, rose hips are very high in vitamin C, and are used for herbal tea and jam and syrup, to name a few. Ha, who knew?! It looks just like a miniature tomato to me!

8.31.2015: back from hiatus

My last blog entry was dated 4/5/2015...and today is 8/31/2015...oh, where to begin and what is one to do when falling so miserably behind?! I've been staring at my blog for the last several minutes, tapping my fingers and scratching my head, trying to figure out what I should do. Let me first start by saying that A LOT has happened during my hiatus, most significant of which was packing up our family and moving across the country. In the frenzy of selling the house, packing, making a week long drive, unpacking and slowly figuring out the new city, I had no time or luxury for anything else, let alone blogging (well...I did keep a private blog to chronicle our whole moving experience).  On multiple times, I even contemplated quitting my Flickr photography groups as I was just barely making the weekly/monthly assignment deadlines. In retrospect, I'm glad that I stuck with it.

So, I'm about 5 months behind and probably have about 2-3 dozen photos that have accumulated in that time. In my attempt to come up with a game plan, I'm realizing that there is no good way other than just tackling it head on and try to catch up as quickly as possible. So, while I'll be resuming my blogging life and posting new things from this day on, I'll also be working mad and post my backlog of stuff. To avoid losing continuity, I'll back date these to their appropriate time frame.

Finally, I have been thinking a lot lately about blogging in general and how I want to approach it going forward. There's still a lot whirling around in my head and I hope to sort everything out soon, but some of the thoughts I'm having are, whether to possibly branch out into other social platforms and whether to widen this blog to include other topics...more on that later.

it's feeling like autumn here today...

12 Months of Misty & Jasper: August - spa time!

This was our first "structured" photoshoot since our move. We're now living in a much smaller place, and the limited space does pose a pretty big challenge, but what we lost in square footage, we made up in the amount of natural light we get. Overall, it was such a cute session and the photos constantly crack me up. The only mistake was in not checking my camera setting beforehand and my ISO was set way high for no good reason, resulting in some degradation of quality...live and learn.

For August submission to the 12 months group:

"Inspired by jjimjilbang, a Korean sauna/bathhouse that I see sometimes on the international channel, I just had to figure out how to make those cute sheep-shaped head towels and of course, to put them on my dogs! I think I could've done without the draped towels though--they remind me of Princess Leia! LOL"

ready for the sauna...or the star wars audition

submission for 52 Weeks: 35/52 - Girl's gotta lamer herself!

12 Months of Jasper: August - "I've been missing out..."

Submission for August:

"Recently, Jasper has figured out the function of a pillow...smart boy. :)"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 34/52 - a good day

Submission for 34/52:

"After couple weeks of feeling weak and resting, Misty started to show signs of improvement towards the latter part of this week and today, she felt good enough to go for a little trail walk which she absolutely loved...it was a good day. :)"

posing in front of this amazing tree

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 33/52 - waiting for the rain

Submission for 33/52:

"We got to experience our first Seattle rain this week since our move, although with all the thunder & lightening, it felt more like the east coast summer storms. Nonetheless, Misty enjoyed watching the dark sky, strong winds and heavy rain for hours."

right before the storm...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 32/52 - resourceful...

Submission for 32/52:

"Misty wasn't feeling her best this week, so we limited her activities to just a quick walk in the morning only. She didn't complain too much and figured out how to maximize this rest period."

Misty loves to rest her head on a pillow nowadays

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 31/52 - "there's no more..."

Submission for 31/52:

"To help cool off during the heat wave this week, we made some homemade "pupsicles" for the dogs--very basic banana and peanut butter. Evidently, it is beneath Misty to lick the last remaining bits on the floor...spoiled!"

not interested in licking the floor...

ice cream = happiness

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 30/52 - Photobomb

A new challenge for the 52 Weeks group this was, "photobomb"...too easy of an assignment for Jasper!

"This was relatively an easy challenge, as photobombing happens all the time with Jasper getting in the shots somehow, especially on walks--it's always fun trying to balance a camera in my hands while trying to control him from pulling me all over the place!"

"Oh, am I in your shot?"

the intended shot...

12 Months of Jasper: July - First encounter...

Submission for July:

"This is Jasper's first ever encounter with ducks. He watched them timidly for some time, then after awhile, of course wanted to go in after them!"

"what is that floating thing?"

12 Months of Misty & Jasper: July - Yin & Yang

This was my July submission for the 12 months group. I wish I had more natural light to work with for this shot, but all the blinds were drawn and I did not want to do anything to disturb the moment. This will probably go down as one of my all time favorite shot of my babies...

"Our dogs typically prefer having their own space, so this little moment was so unexpected and special--I had to grab my camera quickly but quietly to try to capture it. They actually slept in this position for quite some time--very sweet..."

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 29/52 - "beauty sleep"

Submission for 29/52:

"Immediately after taking a bath, Misty made herself very comfortable on the couch--happy and relaxed, she didn't move once until dinner time. :)"

taking a bath makes me sleepy...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 28/52 - "in search of tranquility"

Submission for 28/52:

"On a trail walk this week--we logged close to 3 miles which is the longest Misty has done since her injury last summer! She enjoyed it very much, but did pay the price for it afterwards and took full 3 days to recover. Taken at midday under a harsh lighting and picture did not come out the way I wished...oh well."

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 27/52 - "morning by the lake"

Submission for 27/52:

"The oppressive heat wave this week has been really tough..even in the early morning, Misty was struggling pretty bad and we had to cut our walk short...we contemplated letting her loose in the water, but she seemed too exhausted and I feared having to go in after her...maybe next time! Well, we're all hoping for some cooler weather this week!"

cool water looks nice...

12 Months of Misty & Jasper: June - our new home

June has been a hectic month...lots of unpacking and adjusting to our new life in a new city. Here are couple of pictures from this month for my submission to the 12 months group:

"After making a cross-country move at the end of May, most of June has been spent unpacking and living among boxes..."

moving is tiring...

"Taken just a few days after arriving in Seattle. Movers were delayed, so we had to live with nothing for about a week...somehow we survived! Dogs did great throughout this whole ordeal...we're pretty amazed and so thankful!"

"umm...we're where?"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 26/52 - "I don't like you..."

Submission for 26/52:

"Finally got around to giving the dogs their much needed baths! I know Misty looks unhappy here, but she actually really enjoys taking baths. It was also a great way to cool off from the record breaking heat wave we've had this week. We learned that most people don't have A/C here in Seattle due to the mild summers...something new for us to get used to!"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 25/52 - morning walk

Submission for 25/52:

"Unpacking has been a slow and tedious process...we did get to start the day with a walk by the water which was super nice!"

Elliott Bay Trail

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 24/52 - tired...

Submission for 24/52:

"Misty has been adjusting to her new life in a new city...trading in a backyard for the urban landscape, we're walking her 3-4 times a day--a huge change in her routine. She loves it, but it's definitely hard on her old joints... On a side note, our stuff finally arrived late this week...I'm so ready to regain some normalcy back in our lives!"

adjusting to a new routine of city life is tough...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 23/52 - Sleepy in Seattle

Submission for 23/52:

"We made it safely to Seattle! Dogs did amazing being in the car for 7 days, but are definitely tired and in a recovery mode. Our stuff won't arrive until next week, so we'll all have to try to get by until then, but we're so excited to be here!"

"Moving hard..."

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 22/52 - "Come on, let's go!"

Submission for 22/52:

"Today was the 4th day we've been on the road. Dogs are doing great so far and seem to be enjoying the road trip. We've also been very fortunate with the weather and somehow managed to avoid the terrible rain and flooding that's been happining in the mid region of the country."

Misty enjoying the road trip...

12 Months of Jasper: May - "You looking at me?"

Submission for May:

"While packing, I found a pack of these fake mustaches...why I have them...I have no clue! Anyways, they provided a good break from working, and we had some good laughs over them!"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 21/52 - boxes, boxes everywhere!

Submission for 21/52:

"Boxes are popping up everywhere and the dogs are rather confused by all these strange objects. Taken with late afternoon sun behind, I didn't bother cleaning up all the dust spots created by lens flare. Next couple of weeks will be a challenge as we'll be on the road with only my camera, phone and tablets...and the dogs, of course! :)"

guess we're really moving...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 20/52 - packing up!

Submission for 20/52:

"We've been in a full time packing mode this week, but couldn't resist a little fun time with some bubble wrap. Didn't quite get the shot I wanted as I had to work quickly to avoid getting Misty overheated under all that padding! :)"

ready for shipping...

52 Weeks/12 Months of Misty & Jasper: May - Northwest, here we come!

Things have been very hectic and happening at a lightening speed...our house went under contract within couple of days after listing it, and we had to quickly shift our focus to packing and planning the move. Trying to stay focused and not overwhelmed has been a bit of a challenge, so taking the time out to do this photo session was actually a good thing. I actually envisioned this photoshoot for awhile, ever since our move became more of a reality at the beginning of the year and have plans to use the photo for our moving/new address announcement card. I'm really happy with how they turned out and was quite amazed at how well the dogs tolerated wearing the coats...I think it was a good practice for them for the real rain that awaits us!

our official moving announcement card

submission for 12 months of Misty & Jasper: 5/12

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 18/52 - something purple, hat, wood...

Occasionally, the 52 weeks group have optional challenges for us to do, if we want to participate. I'm not too good at checking the group's discussion forum on a regular basis and normally miss these, but I did happen to catch this one in time--"these three things". The challenge was to incorporate something purple, hat and wood into our weekly photo...easy enough, except we don't seem to own anything in purple. Then, I remembered this one shirt that's been in our donation pile for months, and we were in business! I got creative with the shirt and made a tacky cute bonnet/hat out of it and had Misty pose in front of the wood cabinet door...done!