I want to start adding some still life images and portraits into my projects. In this video, I make some images of tools and old objects to be included in a future project.
Camera gear I use to record myself and document my work
I've talked about the importance of documenting your work before. I believe that documenting and sharing your processes and workflows can only help you to improve them.
One the mediums I choose to document and share my work is video. I've been uploading video content to YouTube for a few years now, and I've learned quite a few things on the way.
I will be sharing some advice, tips and tricks in the next few days. Today, we'll talk about the camera gear I use to make those videos.
Read MorePhotography doesn't start with a camera (video)
Just some thoughts on video about something we've talked about here recently.
Storks, Monforte de Lemos, February 2019
This image was one of my first attempts at wildlife photography with my Bronica SQ-Ai. I failed.
As soon as I got close, the storks flew away and never came back. I waited with my tripod and camera ready for almost an hour. They didn't trust me and I don't blame them.
I moved on and kept making images, but decided to check on them again on my way back home, and good I did. They were back, and this time I won't let them leave without an image.
Having ran out of film, I grabbed my digital camera. That would've been my choice anyway, even if I had film. The Bronica proved too big and slow for a scene like this.
I clicked a few times, but it was with this last composition that I got what I was looking for. Inmediately after, they flew away again. This time, I didn't mind.
You can watch the whole thing on this video: "Wildlife" photography with the Bronica.
My 4 Tripods
I have 4 tripods. I'll use one or another depending on the situation and the camera I'm using.
Disclaimer: I'm not associated with any of these brands and I bought all of these tripods with my own money.
Phone Tripod
I bought this one at a physical store in Chicago (Camera Store Company) and I don't know the brand or model. This is the tripod I use with my GoPro, and I love it! Much better than my old Gorilla Pod.
I can't find it anywhere online, so I'll recommend this Manfrotto for your phone, GoPro or small compact camera: Manfrotto Tripod for phones.
Fotopro FY-583
This ought to be my favorite tripod ever. Designed for phones and very light cameras, the build quality is pretty bad and it's not that stable. These are compromises you have to make when you want the lightest and most compact tripod.
Before this one, I was using a Gorilla Pod, which I found unusuable to record myself operating the camera. It's just too short and the low angles were pretty weird.
The Fotopro changed all of that, and I believe that my videos are so much better because of this. I can show footage of me operating the camera now, as well as footage from the environment I am in.
The only option I had before I found out about this tripod was to use a "real" tripod. I bring a lot of stuff with me (vlogging gear, analog camera, digital camera, lenses, film backs, drone, filters...) so a second tripod wasn't an option at all.
I've used it for stills as well. It's a tripod you can bring with you even if you aren't planning on going on a shoot. It's a "just in case" tripod.
IMPORTANT: I just found out about a newer version of this tripod, taller and more stable, designed for heavier cameras. I will be checking out soon! I might have to change my recommendation for best vlogging tripod.
Manfrotto BeFree
This Manfrotto was my first "serious" tripod. It's a travel tripod so the main goal here is to keep it light, while still offering stability and good quality.
I bought it for my digital camera, and when I bought the Bronica I thought I'd have to buy a bigger tripod. Turns out, it works just fine with the beast. I used it for a year and a half in several National Parks and cities, in every weather condition, and it's just amazing.
I love it so much that my current BeFree is the third copy I own, after losing the first one and destroying the second.
Manfrotto 055XPRO3
This tripod is incredible. The ball head alone is worth every penny, it's a true marvel. You can do very cool stuff with the center column, which can give you those angles you need for product photography.
I used it as my only tripod for stills for a few months, but I soon realized that it wasn't the best option for hikes and long outings. That's why I bought my thrid BeFree a couple of months ago.
Probably not the best option as your only tripod, but it won't let you down if you decide to go for it. Really, really good tripod.
Like father like son, O Cebreiro, February 2018
This is not a good place to photograph in the snow. It does snow a few times every winter, but it's not cold enough for it to stick around. You can get a few white days in the mountains, but that's about it.
That's why I wanted to make it to the mountains so bad a couple of weeks ago. A recent storm had left some considerable snow, but the days were about to warm up so the clock was ticking.
I was lucky enough to get a few hours of cloudy weather and I was able to make some good images. I'm still hoping for some more snow in the weeks to come, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Late Spring US Road Trip
It's been almost a year since I left the US, so I'm really excited to announce my upcoming late spring trip to America. These are the locations I will be visiting and the dates (might change slightly):
Apr 11-12 Los Angeles, CA
Apr 13-19 Phoenix, AZ
Apr 22-26 Santa Fe, NM
Apr 29-May 3 Salt Lake City, UT
May 6-25 Portland, OR
Jun 4-7 Nevada City, CA
In addition to these, I will also be visiting and spending some time in San Francisco, Chicago, Indiana, and a first for me, New York. No firm dates for these just yet.
I'm very excited about this trip, the photos I will make, and hopefully the people I will meet. If you happen to be at any of these locations during these dates and you want to shoot with me, let me know!
"Wildlife" photography fail with the Bronica
I woke up to thick fog, so I quickly grabbed my bag and ran outside. I had no plans and somehow ended up trying to make images of storks. After a failed attempt with the Bronica, I went back to the location and finally made an image I love. I also shoot power lines, of course.
Dawn, A Coruña, February 2019
Sometimes, the best images are the ones we don't expect to make. This is what happened on my recent trip to A Coruña.
This scene was just in front of the hotel where I was staying. I saw it on my second day there, and I visited the location multiple times over a period of 36 hours. I shot it during the day, at night, and before sunrise.
The one I shot at dawn turned out to be the best one, and one of my favorite images I've made this year so far.
White Death, O Cebreiro, February 2019
I showed how I made and edited this image in a video a few days ago, so there's little else I can say about it.
Cemeteries aren't usually places I like to photograph. That day, though, I was looking for subjects that would look good with that layer of fresh snow. Things you wouldn't see covered in snow often in that area.
When I saw it, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to reach it. The path to the cemetery was covered in untouched snow, and the gate was closed. I still wanted to give it a try, and I'm glad I did. I had no problem getting inside.
After a short walk and trying a few initial compositions, I stumbled upon this one. Everything was perfectly in place, a big cross with its white tomb, and a line of other dark crosses in the background.
Once you see a composition, everything is very easy. The hardest part of photography is to recognize it when you see it.
When is an image made?
The moment we press the shutter is hardly the moment an image is made.
It's not until we have a final image, either on paper or on a screen, that we can say we have made an image. That's the moment an image is born.
This was home for 13 years ~ Long Exposure Photography with the Sony a6000 in A Coruña, Spain
I had to visit the city of A Coruña to get the images from my work "America Untitled" back, after one month on display.
Of course, I did some photography in that beautiful city, and this video shows some of the footage and the images I made over there. I also talk about how and why I made a couple of those.
"America Untitled" Photography Exhibit in A Coruña, Spain
Some highlights from the most recent exhibit of my work America Untitled, in A Coruña, Spain.
Snow, faking film and why there are no rules in photography
Finally got to shoot in the snow this winter! I take you with me on a short trip to the mountains, and then we take one of the images I made there, we edit it and we talk about what we can and can't do with our photos in post.
Q&A ~ Photography kit, developing a style, iconic locations, travel plans...
Magic, Sil River, January 2019
I made this image with my Bronica SQ-Ai. It was one of those special moments when you can't believe what you are seeing through the viewfinder. Something so beautiful that you fear your image won't do it justice.
After this shot, I took a bunch with my digital camera (the fog was moving really quick and presented a lot of different compositions), but this is still my favorite.
What a beautiful morning.
Winter photography: travel before the storm, photograph the storm
One of the most beautiful drives I’ve done.
Winter is my favorite season for photography. There's just one problem, though: the weather.
Over the years, I've gotten caught in several snowstorms (and even worse, ice storms) all over British Columbia, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, California, South Dakota and of course, in the Midwest.
The trip through Northern California was the scariest one, I lost control of the car twice due to ice. That was the last time I drove through a snowstorm, putting yourself in danger for an image is not worth it. How do we do it, then?
This day, I had to drive 40 miles on frozen dirt roads to get to the closest town.
Travel before the storm.
That's what I did in South Dakota: I drove more than 1,000 miles in between two big storms and once the second one hit, I was ready and on location.
Photograph the storm.
It was mid-April when the blizzard came. Temperatures dropped to single digits (F) and the storm dumped almost a foot of snow. There was no one else around and no way to get to the Badlands after they closed the highway.
Winter wonderland.
I got one of my favorite images ever that day, and I had a winter wonderland waiting for me the next morning. Best of all, I was able to drive in and out of the park safely.
That's my advice for winter photography: avoid the road on severe weather conditions, be on location beforehand. If that's not possible and you still insist on making the drive, please make sure that you and your car are ready for the worst conditions.
Photography doesn't start with a camera
While it's totally possible to get a camera and then find a subject to photograph, it's definitely much easier to find something you are passionate about and then start capturing it.
If you gave me a camera 10 years ago, I wouldn't have known what to do with it.
Instead, photography came naturally to me when I discovered my passion for the outdoors after moving to the Pacific Northwest.
A camera is a tool to capture what we see. I didn't see anything 10 years ago. I do now.
Wall of shadows, Estói, December 2018
I stumbled upon this wall during a walk in Estói, Portugal, a few weeks ago. It was around noon on a bright day.
The hursh light was creating all sorts of shadows, and this street light and wall caught my eye. I'm not sure what those little windows were for, but they were the perfect match for the shadow and the paving stone.
A hundred words
A movie about the rain and the beauty it brings.