Why and how this little toy camera, made entirely of plastic and worth almost nothing, can make better images than optically perfect lenses attached to high resolution cameras.
Read MoreAbout the Holga
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American Road Trip Journal #22: Mono Lake (and the White Mountains)
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Episode 22 of the American Road Trip Journal.
Still in the Eastern Sierra, I drove more than 2 hours from Lone Pine to Mono Lake to photograph the sunrise at one of kind lake.
I took some long exposures of the tufas, but it was so cold that I couldn't focus on the photos too much.
On my way back, I stopped by June Lake and the White Mountains, where I visited and photographed some of the oldest trees on Earth.
Back in Oregon, Day 5
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Last video from Oregon! On the last day, I only had a few hours left with the rental car so I decided to visit the Japanese Gardens. An episode a bit different this time, I know, but the place is beautiful.
Back in Oregon, Day 4
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Fourth and second to last episode from Oregon. I drive to Silver Falls State Park in Salem where I photograph some subjects that I find hard to capture: trees and waterfalls.
Why I shoot Black and White
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Most of my friends and family keep wondering why I deliberately ruin my photos shooting in Black and White. After all, the real world is in color. And the pictures I used to take were in color, and beautiful. Why change?
Read MoreBack in Oregon, Day 3
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Third day of my trip in Oregon. This time I drive to Wasco County and the Cottonwood Canyon in the high desert, stopping first by some spots in the Columbia Gorge like the Vista House and Multnomah Falls.
Read MoreAmerican Road Trip Journal #21: Death Valley
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This was my second visit to Death Valley in 2017, and the second time I didn't get to do as much as I wanted to do there.
Read MoreLuna and I walking on a frozen Trillium Lake, in Oregon.
On being a photographer in a foreign country
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Yesterday, I found myself thinking about an essay from *"Why people photograph"* by Robert Adams. The piece was about Paul Strand and how, according to Adams, he never achieved the excellence he showed previously after he moved to France, where he lived for more than 25 years.
Read MoreBack in Oregon, Day 2
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Second episode of this series, where I go back to Oregon and visit some of my favorite spots.
This time, I go to the coast: Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Fort Stevens State Park and Astoria.
Read MoreSocial Media isn't the problem. It's you.
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There, I said it. Social media isn't the source of our problems, but rather a reflection or amplification of them.
Read MoreEditing Film Scans
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Today's video is a bit different. And rather long. I go through two rolls of film from my recent trip to Oregon and edit the 24 shots in Lightroom.
Read MoreBack in Oregon, Day 1
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First video of my short trip to Oregon a few weeks ago. I was too tired to do much after several hours of travel, but I still managed to do a quick trip to the Columbia River Gorge and visit a waterfall.
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How to preview your film negatives with your phone
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This is a quick tip for those who, like me, can't wait to see the images on that negative we just developed.
Once you've seen a few negatives, you get a good understanding of how the photo will look, but there's nothing like seeing the positive version of the image.
I use my phone to get a quick sneak peek, this is how I do it.
Read MoreShooting film: "The last of winter"
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Winter is over here in the Midwest. Sure, it's still cold (it went down to 20F this last night), but the white and snowy landscapes are gone for good, I'm afraid.
In this video, I drove to Michigan City at the shore of Lake Michigan in an attempt to capture the last of winter. I found heavenly conditions for photography and I made some of my favorite images here.
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Practice more by shooting less
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The faster, the better. Or so it seems these days.
A few days ago, I was struck by a photographer telling people that in order to learn they should go out every day and shoot as much as they can. Then, they'd have to go through those few hundred photos before the day is over and select 1 or 2. Next day, repeat.
What this photographer seems to be missing is that photography is much more than taking a picture.
Read MoreAmerican Road Trip Journal #20: Alabama Hills
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In this episode of the American Road Trip, I visit one of the most beautiful places I've seen in the US: the Alabama Hills.
Read MoreThe importance of taking a break
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I was supposed to be in Tennessee this week. Or in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. Those were my two destinations for March. At the end, I decided to stay home.
I’ve been shooting a lot lately. I thought I wouldn’t for a while after the road trip, but the winter here in Northern Indiana has been beautiful, and then I went to Chicago and Portland where I put almost 1,000 miles on the rental car in just 4 days.
So I decided to take a break from making images. It’s been 11 days since I took my last photo with the Bronica; it feels a bit weird but I don’t have that rush I usually have. Not yet. I think it was a necessary break.
I’m still working hard on my photography, just everything that isn’t using the camera: developing film from Portland, writing on the blog, editing videos for my YouTube channel, uploading stock photos and pitching some editorial work. I’ve also been reading some books and playing the piano, not only because I like it but also as an attempt to feed the creativity.
My next photography trip is planned and almost fully booked, but it won’t happen for another month. I know that I will feel that rush to get out before that, but for now, I’m letting the camera rest for a bit.
Shooting film: Chicago, day 3
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Third and last day in Chicago, and I had a sunrise mission: take a long exposure of downtown Chicago. I'd tried the days before but I didn't feel like I actually had gotten it so this time I went a bit farther north.
I loved this thing. I sold it. I don't miss it.
"What camera should I buy?"
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This is one of the questions I get asked the most.
My short, quick, TL;DR... answer is always the same: get the camera you enjoy shooting with the most.
Keep reading if you want to hear me out as I go deeper into what I think you should consider when choosing a new camera.
Read Morea6500 with the beautiful kit lens
About that Sony A7III
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I apologize in advance for this Saturday morning rant
Is it me or it feels like everyone is freaking out about the new Sony A7III?
As the former owner of an A7II and a current user of a Sony a6500, I was really interested in seeing what they'd come up with for this new generation of cameras. I'm overwhelmed about the reaction to this camera and underwhelmed about the camera itself.
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