A Death Valley photography journal

December 02, 2020 in journal

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to spend a couple nights in beautiful Death Valley National Park. I recorded a photography journal of sorts, and the result is these two videos. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Remove friction

November 30, 2020 in journal

To remove bad habits, we need to create friction. Do you eat unhealthy snacks every time you pass by the kitchen? Hide them away or, better yet, don't buy them.

To build good habits, we need to remove friction. Want to start running? Try by leaving your running shoes by the door.

The same applies to photography: we should remove as much friction as possible.

Something catches our eye. A possible image, we think. But then we realize about everything we need to do to take the photograph: take our backpack off, get the camera out, mount the lens, filter, extend the tripod, place it on ground, work through the settings... every single step is friction between us and the image. The likelihood of us trying our luck with that scene is very low. We will never know if that image would have worked.

Remove friction: have your camera out and ready, use P or A mode, shoot handheld. Consider using compact cameras. The simpler, the better.

Disappointing my dad

November 26, 2020 in journal

My dad is very good at giving unsolicited and brutal feedback. He's got a good eye for negative stuff and is able to find it in almost anything.

"I'm disappointed, I was expecting more"

Those were his words after watching my recent video from Crater Lake. And even though I will never tell him this, I have to agree with him this time: it wasn't my best work by any means.

On one hand, this was due to the conditions: a boring, sunny and clear day. Timing is everything in photography. No matter how many masters of photography you throw at it, if the conditions aren't right, it's not going to work.

On the other hand, it's always possible to create good images. We just need to find what is that shines under the conditions we've got. I did try with the full moon, with some long exposures, with silhouettes. They are not the kind of images one might imagine from a place like Crater Lake, and that might crush other people's expectations.

I've said this dozens of times on this blog and my YouTube channel, but it's worth repeating: you are one click away from your best image ever. What that image is going to be of, you don't know. Stay open and flexible when you visit a location. Have a few images in mind, but if they don't work, be willing to move on and find something else. In many cases, that will be much better than your original idea. It will be, at least, different and original.

Even if that disappoints others.

Pushing myself in Lake Tahoe, Nevada

November 26, 2020 in journal

I don’t usually struggle with motivation when it comes to getting out and making images. I’m generally very excited to take my camera out there and start shooting.

My time in Nevada was different. I was still adjusting to being alone on the road, and with the contested elections all over the news, I got distracted and lost my momentum. I had to push myself, force myself to get out even if I didn’t feel like doing it.

And as you might have expected, it was totally worth it.

Where the Pacific meets the Cascades, and other recent videos

November 26, 2020 in journal

Still catching up after my road trip. I never shared the video I made in Northern Washington here, and that’d be a mistake. Washington is probably my favorite state (sorry, Oregon), and the coast and mountains north of Seattle are my favorite part of it. Beauty everywhere.

But there are some other recent videos I never got to share here:

Full Moon over Crater Lake, I couldn’t miss it. I drove over 7 hours to be at Crater Lake in time to witness a breath-taking moonrise.
She left me! No more excuses… My apologies for the clickbait-y title. But it’s true, Rachel had to go home for work, so I’m alone on the road. This just became a 100% photography trip.
A landscape is never done. I revisit some of my favorite spots in the Oregon Coast and I try to convince you why you should revisit landscapes. They are never “done”, and there’s always something new to find and capture.
Where’s the Bronica? I get asked about the Bronica very often.
How to do photography in bad weather (and why you should). Don’t let rain and snow stop you from getting out there, they are the very things that can make your next great image happen. A few tips about how I shoot in bad weather.
Some street photography in Portland. Rachel and I go on a walk on the streets of beautiful Portland with our cameras (Fuji X100T and Sony A7Rii) and try to make the best of a lovely fall evening.
Best thing you can do for your photography right now. It’s very simple, and yet very easy to forget. So easy that I have to keep reminding myself of the key to photography: just get out.
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) in the woods of Portland. A very useful technique to make minimal and simple images in busy places. Useful even if we don’t like the results, as it will get us started and might be the spark we need to get inspired.

That’s quite a few videos, I guess I’ve been busy lately. And there are many more coming soon. I’ll be sharing them here, but don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It really does help.

Catching up

November 25, 2020 in journal

Nothing lasts forever, and this trip wasn’t going to be an exception. I’m back in Indiana after 3 incredible months on the road, a time I spent trying to take it all in as much as I could. I don’t know when I’m going to have the chance to hit the road again, so I gave it all I had.

That means I pretty much put everything else on hold. Among other things, my exercise habits, this blog, and email.

I’m catching up now: I’ve started to exercise again, this post is the first of hopefully many to come here in the blog, and I’ve replied to a few emails that had been patiently waiting for a response for a while. I will be getting back to people on social networks soon, too. If you tried to contact me and I haven’t gotten back to you by the end of this week, please try again.

Being back is bittersweet: it’s great to be with family again, and having a routine makes me feel more energized and healthier. But I miss the road already, all the sunrises and sunsets I saw out west over those stunning landscapes.

As this part of my photography journey ends, the first snowstorms of the season here in the Midwest are already signaling the beginning of the next one. I can’t wait to take my cameras out once the white powder takes over these landscapes.

I was exhausted… but it was worth it

November 02, 2020 in journal

New video, even though this time I wasn’t planning on making one. I was also very tired, but the beauty of the Oregon Coast gave me enough energy to push through, make some images, and record a little video. Hope you enjoy it.

One night alone in Mt Hood

November 01, 2020 in journal

I visited, hiked and photographed Mt Hood more times than I can count during the 6 years I lived in Portland. It’s a place where I’d go in search of peace and calm. Seeing that magnificent mountain helps to put things in perspective, how small we and our problems are.

But I’d never spent the night up there. I guess that having a comfortable bed just one hour away didn’t make it sound very attractive. I took it for granted, as I prioritized farther away locations.

This time, though, I wanted to fix that. I wanted to do the Timberline Trail over 4 days and 3 nights, but the amount of downed trees on the trail from a recent windstorm made that option almost impossible. I still wanted to spend a night up there, so I hiked as far as I could in one day, set up camp, and enjoyed the views.

It was perfect: there was no wind, it wasn’t too cold, clear skies, an almost full moon, and the whole place for myself.

Why we photograph

October 29, 2020 in journal

Why do we go through such hardship for a few images? Why do we wake up so early? Why do we face the elements? Why are we willing to be cold, hot, wet, burnt, exhausted... all for an image? Why do we keep trying, over and over?

Why?

It's because we need it, as much as we need to breathe.

It's because it makes us feel in peace.

It's because we can see.

It's because we want to feel alive.

The world reveals itself when you pay attention. Our duty is to witness the beauty and show it to others, to become their eyes.

We are half crazy, or full crazy.

We pour our souls and hearts, we are obsessed, dedicated, passionate.

We want to show what needs to be seen, what needs to be known.

A day spent making images makes us feel. Calm, excited, exhausted and happy. Part of something much bigger than ourselves.

We wander, we are free.

When the time comes to pack and head back home, we are not the same. We are changed, every shot, every photo, every place, every subject is now part of us, they make us who we are. But the fire never goes away, AND we are excited because we know we get to do it again tomorrow.

Video was filmed at Dog Mountain, Washington.

Bad and good days in Portland

October 26, 2020 in journal

Another video I’d forgotten to share here. I had an absolutely great time in Portland, as usual, but a few things happened on one of those days, making it not as good. I was happy with the images I got, though!

Lovely morning for photography in Bend, Oregon

October 26, 2020 in journal

A beautiful morning it was, indeed. Forgot to share this video from Bend, Oregon.

“Where’s the Bronica?”

October 19, 2020 in journal

"Beautiful images, but where is the Bronica?"

If someone paid me $1 every time I get asked about the Bronica, I'd be making a very comfortable living off of photography.

We like to say we don't care about gear but at the end of the day, it's what we pay the most attention to. After all, buying a new camera and learning how to use it is a clear goal, something actionable anyone can do. We feel like we make progress.

Figuring out what to do with that camera is harder, though. Even though the purpose behind our photography is all that matters in the end.

I struggle with this like everyone else, and sharing my journey as I try to get closer to the what and the why, and not the how, is my purpose.

What's yours?

It doesn’t matter which way you go

October 15, 2020 in journal

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?", asked Alice.
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to", said the cat.
"I don't much care where---", said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go", said the cat.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

I've been in Portland for almost 3 weeks now, but my time here is coming to an end. I was looking forward to being back in this beautiful city where I lived 6 years of my life. There were so many places I wanted to visit and photograph. I did go to some of them, but every day has been a struggle.

Back at the beginning of this trip, when I was in Colorado and Utah, I had fewer options. Not because of a lack of places, but because I did not know about them. The day the snowstorm hit Fort Collins, I just got in the car and drove. Somewhere. Anywhere. Everything was new to me, I had zero expectations. I made some images and it felt good.

Here in Portland, I know where the roads go. I have expectations. Choosing one option is very hard. I feel overwhelmed by the many options and the very little time!

Last night, I spent a good couple of hours thinking about what to do today, where to go, what to photograph. I couldn't make a decision, and the result is that I didn't go anywhere. And here I am, regreting it and writing this post instead of being outside taking photos.

I spent so much time thinking about which road to take, that I forgot that I don't really care where I go as long as I'm going somewhere. I just want to make images. Literally a walk around the neighborhood would've been better. Instead, I got stuck at the intersection, contemplating my options.

Wake up and get out, I wrote 3 years ago. That's still the most important lesson I've learned about photography. The key to make great images is to put yourself out there. It doesn't matter where. As long as you are somewhere.

Night and Day photography at the Alvord Desert, Oregon

October 14, 2020 in journal

The Alvord Desert is one of my favorite spots in Oregon. A remote place in the vastness of SE Oregon, we first visited this place a few years ago during Thanksgiving. It was a trip I will never forget.

In this video, I remember that trip, and try to make new memories… and images. The weather didn’t cooperate as much as I’d have loved to, but we still had a great time.

Hiking Mt Timpanogos, Utah

October 11, 2020 in journal

Mt Timpanogos, in the Wasatch Range, rises almost 12,000 feet above sea level. The view of the Salt Lake valley and the neighboring mountains was something I had to check out in person. So I did.

This is not an easy hike: 15 miles round-trip and almost 5,000 feet of elevation gain. Count on 4-5 hours to reach the top. Because I was recording myself and had to walk back and forth many times to retrieve the camera, my hike clocked at 22 miles and 6,000+ feet elevation gain. It took me almost the whole day.

Despite its difficulty, it’s a pretty popular hike: I did it on a Friday, and the trail was pretty busy. Plenty of people in their late 60s (one man was celebrating his 68th birthday by summiting the mountain) and even kids.

If you are planning on doing this hike in late summer / early fall, make sure to bring plenty of water. There are a couple of streams at the beginning, but nothing after that.

The trail is well maintained and easy to follow, although it requires some scrambling in the last section, where you should expect loose rocks. Even though people climb this mountain year-round, I’d definitely not do it (at least the last section) with snow or ice on the ground.

When it comes to photography, the place offers plenty of opportunities for great images, but I wasn’t very happy with what I got. The weather and nearby fires didn’t help, it was kind of bland and hazy day. The hard climb takes a lot of your physical and mental energy as well, so I found it difficult to focus on making images. But I’m glad I went for it: a mostly peaceful hike to a beautiful peak with stunning views.

Great Salt Lake: a photography adventure

October 04, 2020 in journal

I spent a few days photographing the Great Salt Lake, and this video is the result of that time. What a beautiful place.

How we travel

September 29, 2020 in journal

We are moving again, leaving Colorado and heading towards Utah. In this video, we talk about how we travel, why we do it this way, what we carry with us, and I make some images in Salt Lake City.

How to make the most of a photography trip

September 23, 2020 in journal

There’s never enough time at a location. That was definitely what happened to me in my recent visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. A beautiful and huge place, and only 2 days to enjoy it.

In this video, I share some tips on how to make the most of a photography trip, so we can go back home with as many good images as possible.

Nasty weather, happy photographer

September 14, 2020 in journal

I am on the road again! And what better way to start the trip than with an unexpected snowstorm at the beginning of September. I welcomed and embraced the snow, and tried to make good images at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.