Summers are hard

It's hot, very hot. It was even hotter in Valencia, in SE Spain, where I spent a few days with my family. I got to do some photography, but I was happy to be back in the fog!

3 creative editing techniques in Lightroom

I forgot to share this video here, one I published last week while dealing with the heat. The perfect time to sit down and edit some photos, especially when using these creative editing techniques in Lightroom.

A local photography adventure

I've spent many years photographing my hometown and the landscapes around it. There's not much else to find, I would think. Wrong. There's so much more out there, waiting for me to find it. So I take my bike and go on a 18-mile ride on trails I had not explored before.

Conversation with Dimitris Kotakos

I had the pleasure of chatting with Greek photographer Dimitros Kotakos on his YouTube channel. Watch our conversation here.

Some images are gone forever... and new ones appeared

Change is the only constant in life, and photography. Every photo we take might be the last one we can make of that subject, or location. They change, we change. Some images are gone forever... but there are new ones replacing them.

This trip demanded everything

If dealing with snow, mud, wind and rain wasn't enough, the Upper Peninsula gifted me with some thunderstorms. It was a constant struggle against the conditions, but the images I made there were well worth the fight.

Photography Plans vs Reality (from the Upper Peninsula, Michigan)

I continue my road trip across Michigan as I enter the Upper Peninsula. My first time up here, and so many things don't go according to plan. If not covered in snow, roads are flooded; many parks and spots I want to visit are closed; trails are full of mud. But the good thing is, I have the whole place (or whatever is accessible) for myself.

The practice of seeing

Some ways a daily photography practice can improve your photography.

The first days are the hardest

A photography road trip is a big change from our everyday life. New routines (or the lack of one), habits, motions, and mindset. It takes a while getting used to it, and that's why the first days are the hardest. As I hit the road again, I try to make it easy on myself by visiting a location I'm familiar with, in Northern Michigan.

Goodbye, SF

My last days in the Bay Area.

How wide is *too* wide?

My experiments with the ultra wide angle Laowa 10-18mm (Amazon link).

6 unexpected ways more megapixels help my photography

More megapixels doesn't mean better photographs... but in many ways, high resolution sensors can make our lives as photographers much easier, and enable us to do things we couldn't do with fewer pixels.

It finally happened

After many tries, I finally got a winter snowstorm in Yosemite Valley. It was magical, everything I had hoped for.

What a photo book I hated taught me

I love Lee Friedlander's work, but his book "Western Landscapes" left me puzzled. I just don't like those images, and yet, there are so many things I learned from studying Friedlander's vision for the landscapes I like to photograph.

Dull weather is a blank canvas for photography

The light was pretty flat today. While most photographers would avoid days like this, I actually think they make for anything but boring photography. In fact, other than a foggy day, there’s nothing I like more than a flat, gray, and cloudy sky. These conditions give us a blank canvas to create the images we envision, rather than just capturing what’s in front of us. Especially in the context of black-and-white photography.

The power of awe inspiring landscapes: Yosemite

Since I moved to San Francisco last year, Yosemite has become one of my favorite locations to visit when the conditions are right. There was some snow in the forecast so I decided to make the trip, but ultimately I only got rain. A visit to Yosemite never disappoints though, and I got to make some beautiful images... and stand, once again, in awe in that breathtaking valley.

I ignored these locations for too long

There are so many spots within an hour drive from where I live now, locations I had neglected for very long. It was about time to fix it.

Originality is overrated

I believe that trying to be original for the sake of it is counterproductive, and ultimately impossible. Instead of worrying about what others have or haven’t done, we should focus on being true to ourselves and photographing subjects that resonate with us. If that’s an iconic location, so be it. If it’s something no one else has photographed before, that’s great. Perhaps it's a combination of both.

On quitting my job to become a full-time photographer

Outdoor photography gets romanticized often, but the reality can be very harsh for most of us. A dream job is still a job, after all.

In this video, I talk about why I took the step of quitting my job and becoming a full-time photographer, how to make money with photography, and some practical tips.

Moody photography at the California Coast

It was a wonderful rainy and moody day of photography along the California Coast. This is a ambient video, with no commentary, something I should do more often.