WHERE HOWARD GOES
Travel photography and storytelling by Howard Cheng
Blog
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Photographing the Milky Way from 37,000 ft
In September 2024, whilst on an Asiana Airlines flight to South Korea, I shot the Milky Way from a plane. This was my first time trying to shoot the galactic core, let alone from a plane. It took me a while to work out how to do it — I documented my planning process in…
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Review: Capture One Enhanced Denoise
Capture One has always been one of those editing apps which I seem to have a love-hate relationship with. I initial bought Capture One with a good discount when I bought my first Leica. I had used pretty much as my sole editing tool until they really started pushing their subscription model. One of the…
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Does price matter? K&F vs 3 Legged Thing tripods in the Arctic
My first trip to Finnish Lapland claimed my previous tripod with temperatures of around -20°C. After I came back to the UK, I bought myself a Billy 2.0 tripod from British brand 3 Legged Thing. I have been using my Billy 2.0 ever since, and it has accompanied me on all of my Arctic trips.…
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Goshuincho and Goshuin: Spiritual Stamp Collecting in Japan
If possible, whenever I am on my travels, I like to try and visit places of religious veneration. It is probably just psychological, but I find that there is often something calming and energising in the air of these places. Even visiting ancient, long disused places of worship like the Parthenon in Athens has a…
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What Does “Entry-Level” Even Mean in Terms of Photography Gear?
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV (hereafter “E-M10 IV”) is considered one of the best “entry-level” cameras. Digital Camera World‘s buying guide titled The best camera for beginners in 2025: perfect cameras for learning photography, which was last updated on 1 July 2025 at the time of writing, lists the E-M10 IV as being the…
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Shooting the Aurora
With just over a month to go before the start of the 2025 / 2026 northern lights (aurora borealis) season and with solar activity levels still being quite favourable, it might be the time to think about a trip to where you can see the aurora as well. What is the aurora? Without being too…
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One Shot that Changed Everything – Good Bye, Full Frame
Until recently, my main workhorse cameras were the Leica Q3 and the Sony A7R IV, both full frame beasts shooting at a resolution of 60 megapixels. The Q3 was often my travel companion because of its compact size and its IP52 rating. I had brought the Q3 on various extreme trips from hiking on top…
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Yashica FX-D: Tempting, but Logically It Should Be a “No”
With modern cameras featuring super fast burst shooting, it is nice to be reminded once in a while to slow down – not least to avoid being in the position of going home after shooting with an unmanageable amount of photos to sift through and edit. It is for the reason of slowing down that,…
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Why I Parted Ways with My Leica Q3
When I first laid my hands on the Leica Q3, I was enamoured with the camera. The craftsmanship, the precision, and the iconic aesthetics, the enjoyment of the photography experience – it was everything I could dream of. For those unfamiliar, the Leica Q3 boasts a 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens that promises unparalleled sharpness and…
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Does sensor size matter? Not as much as I thought
One of the biggest questions which is asked when buying cameras is about the sensor size. It matters, right?… right? Well – maybe yes, maybe no, maybe both. Having first shot with an APS-C sensor before moving onto full frame, then shooting with APS-C again, then full frame again, and then now Micro Four Thirds,…
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London at Christmas 2024
As we move from November into December when the air gets a little crisper as temperatures drop, decorations of Christmas trees and Christmas lights pop up all over London as we get ready for the festive Christmas season. I will be updating this map right up to Christmas 2024 to showcase London’s best festive looks…
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Review: Light Lens Lab 50 mm f/2 Speed Panchro II: make every frame look like a still from a classic Hollywood film
It is said that the one lens which every photography should own is the ‘nifty fifty’ – a 50 mm prime lens. The 50 mm lens is considered a ‘normal’ as images produced with a 50 mm lens results in an image which, when viewed at normal viewing distances – usually at arm’s length –…