journal
“[...] to everyone who is freaking out because they fear the noise and distraction of all the additional content on the Internet, you can relax. Quality is a tremendous filter. Cream always rises, my friends, no matter how many cups of coffee you pour.”
I believe in this.
Keep posting and sharing your photography: it's the only way it can be discovered and seen by people who will love it.
My mom is a collector of memories.
For years, she spent a lot of money and time putting together photo albums with side notes: where we went, what we ate, how we felt.
"1985-90", "90-93"
They are images of the highlights of our lives: that wedding, that party, that birthday, that day at the beach.
"April, 2000 - ", says the label of the very last photo album.
As you turn pages on that album, you start noticing that whereas one from the 90s would have 3-4 photos per event, this one had 10-20, getting worse and worse towards the end.
No more side notes, no more anecdotes.
And one day, suddenly, no more photos.
There wasn't room for all of them.
Digital happened.
I miss my Holga. A lot.
Today, I was out of town and had a few hours to kill. I happened to have a can of tuna in the car (don't ask) and I had an idea. A bad one.
I drove to a camera store and bought a UV filter (first time in my life, by the way).
I opened the can, and started to get some of the oil with my finger. I spread it all over the filter, and then I screwed it on the lens of my Sony a6500.
The results are promising. Not exactly a Holga look but very dreamy and surreal.
I still need to play with this a bit more, using vaseline instead of oil next time.
I'll keep you updated.
Second day at Grand Canyon National Park.
When Amstrad launched its word processor 30 years ago, writers were initially resistant – processing was for peas, not words. But many soon saw the benefits of life without Tipp-Ex.
I'd bet that there are very few writers today neglecting the advantages of the backspace key.
Almost two hundreds years have passed since photography was born, and yet many still see editing as something evil.
The book is the destination. The image is the goal. The tools you use to make your art don't matter.
We already know what a long exposure is and why this technique is so awesome. And we know the camera gear and equipment we need. In this week's chapter, we'll talk about how to actually use that gear to take a long exposure.
I'll show you how I take a long exposure with my Sony a6500 step by step. The controls on your camera might have a different name, but the process should be pretty similar. If you have any questions, leave a comment or contact me.
Read MoreI've grown used to destructive criticism. I've got a lot of it since I quit my job 10 months ago to pursue a career as a professional artist.
I usually dismiss it and carry on.
One day, Person A -let's call them that way- was trying to discourage me and asked a question:
"You say photography is your job... Do you work 8 hours a day then?".
They weren't looking for an answer, but to diminish what I was doing. Those are the ways of destructive criticism.
I couldn't dismiss it this time, though.
It was true: I wasn't putting the hours. I was definitely getting out and making images, but starting a photography business requires so much more than that.
From that day on, I've been working 12+ hours a day on my photography, 7 days a week.
Even though some people will try to ridicule what you do, the way you take their words is up to you. Use them to your advantage if you can; discard and forget them if you cannot.
Photography requires -almost- no technical skills anymore. Modern cameras are able to perfectly expose a scene most of the time.
That alone doesn't make good images, though.
What is it, then? What's the difference between greatness and mediocrity in photography?
Talent -as in a naturally given ability to appreciate beauty- plays a role in this.
A lack of talent can be overcome, though, by anyone who possesses what I believe is the key to great art: passion.
While technical skills and talent can give a photographer a head start, only passion will bring them beyond the point where photographers without it can't go.
Today has been a busy day, Mondays always are.
I didn't have any time to write anything profound for today, so I just came up with a new weekly thing called Monday Random Thoughts, Links and Updates, and this is volume number 1.
Read MoreDuring the last few days, I've been trying **IGTV** (Instagram TV) as a possible (and yet another one) outlet to share my work.
When it first launched a few months ago, I was very skeptical. I still am, but after playing with it for a bit I can see its huge potential.
So far, I’ve released 4 videos on my IGTV channel and I’m liking what I’m seeing.
Read MoreEvery once in a while, I have an idea for a project and work on it for a few hours or days. Then I realize that those images (or videos) I created don't really fit in with the rest of my work, and discard them. Well, not happening anymore.
Introducing The X Projects, a jumble where any weird, odd and probably wrong idea I have will find its place to live forever and ever.
Read MoreAnother video where I show all 12 shots from a roll of Ilford HP5, this time roll number #219. Taken with the Bronica SQ-Ai, shot and developed at ASA 800 (+1 push stop) with Rodinal (1+50).
Read MoreI believe images are meant to be hung on a wall, and I wanted mine to fulfill that destiny. My semi-nomadic lifestyle didn’t allow me to do this for a long time, until I figured out a way to do it using drop shipping services.
Read MoreAfter struggling on my hike in Somiedo a few months ago, I decided that it was enough. I had had a terrible winter: I didn't exercise and I ate and drank way too much; I had gotten fat and out of shape.
So I challenged myself and set some goals.
Climbing to Pena Trevinca was one of them. The highest peak in Galicia raises to 2,127 meters (7,000 feet) above sea level. That might not sound like much, but it would be a nearly impossible task for fat Adrian to achieve.
Read MoreThe adventure continues! This time, I visit the Grand Canyon National Park for the first time.
Even after seeing the Redwoods and being at places like Death Valley and the Canadian Rockies, this place made me feel really, really small. An impressive sight, worth a visit.
Open the post to watch the video.
Read MoreThis is the second chapter of a series about Long Exposure Photography. A new post is published every Wednesday.
Camera gear matters. And when it comes to Long Exposure Photography, it matters even more.
Whatever camera we use (it could be a phone or a 8x10 large format camera), we need to be able to control the shutter speed and increase it for extended periods of time.
The greater control you have, the better.
Now, there are still ways to shoot long exposures even if we can't control the shutter speed. We'll talk about those too.
Read MoreIn this video (and contact sheet), I show all 12 shots from Roll #218. Taken with the Bronica SQ-Ai on Ilford HP5 film, shot and developed at ASA 400 (box speed) with Rodinal (1+50).
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You might know that I've recently set up a new darkroom after leaving all my equipment in the US. As part of this new setup, I got some **Rodinal** to try as my new developer. And I made a mistake.
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If you have an Epson scanner, you already know which annoying bug I’m talking about. Today, I think I’ve fixed it! This is how.
Read MoreRecently, I got asked something I hadn't been asked in a long time:
"what happens if instead of buying a print from you, someone downloads a photo from your website and prints it?"
My answer was: "I don't care". This is why.
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