Wildfires: beast and beauty

Wildfires are hell. Not only because of the destruction they bring to the wildlife and humans living around it, but also because of the effect of the smoke they produce that can reach lands thousands of miles away.

I've experienced this a few times while living in Portland. Once, we left a window cracked during a smoky day, and came back a few hours later to an apartment covered in ash.

And yet, the apocalyptic and eerie scenes the smoke creates can make for incredible photographs. We've all seen images from New York City this week, affected by the smoke from wildfires happening in Canada. So horrible, yet so incredibly beautiful.

Similarly to fog, the smoke hides whatever is far away from you, while revealing in great detail the objects closer to you. It does have a distinct feel, though: it pollutes the whole landscape. Plus, these conditions happen at times when fog does not usually happen: there's nothing more dramatic than the Sun coming through a thick layer of smoke.

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These two images are examples of some work I did in very smoky conditions. The first one was made in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, back in 2017, when wildfires in Alberta covered the whole PNW with smoke. The second image was made last year in Riaño, Spain, during a day with very strong calima (sand that is blown away from the Sahara desert, not from wildfires but the exact same effect).

Be cautious if you decide to adventure in these conditions, though: the danger to one's health can't be understated. Wear a good mask, and don't spend too much time outdoors anyway.

Working From the Car

I watched with interest the recent presentation of Apple's AR/VR headset, Vision Pro. I was hoping for a use case that wasn't playing games, watching TV, or pretending to be a legless avatar.

While Vision Pro seems to be a device geared towards consumption for the most part, I can see huge potential on the productive side of things as well.

I was very happy to see that the headset can work as a portable, private, and pretty big monitor to a Macbook. As someone who doesn't have a permanent home, much less an office, this can be a big deal for me. Especially when I'm on the road.

During photography road trips, I spend most nights in my car, where space is... well, very limited. I still haven't found a way to work on my computer for long periods of time that is comfortable and doesn't break my back.

An AR/VR headset could solve this problem. I can't wait for the day I can have a 27" virtual monitor (or two, or three) to work on Lightroom and Final Cut Pro in the back of my small SUV.

I'm still a bit skeptical (is the resolution of the headset going to be enough for this use case?), even more considering the price point of this thing, but I'm excited for a future where I could work from anywhere as comfortably as I would in a proper office.

Alive by photography

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Photographers may or may not make a living by photography, but they are alive by it ~ Robert Adams

The spring is a very challenging time for me. Foggy, rainy and cold days are mostly gone, as hot and sunny weather takes over. But even worse than that are my allergies.

Going out to take some photos becomes an exercise in overcoming the discomfort, pushing through the misery at times.

Thankfully, I started taking an allergy pill that seems to be working. It's not perfect, but it makes being out bearable. So I've been taking more pictures lately and the change in my mood has been nothing short of amazing.

I went from feeling a bit sluggish, tired, to feeling more alive and optimistic. And I didn't have to go anywhere to feel that way! Just walking the very same roads, streets and paths I walk everyday. That's the power of the camera.

Just another reminder (in case I needed one!) that this is what photography... daily photography, does to us.

A foggy spring day of Black and White Photography

It'd been a pretty hot and dry spring, but finally, finally, we got a beautiful foggy day. I made some images, got a lot of footage, and have a lot to say.

Black & White Photography at the Death Coast, Galicia: Episode 2

Second part of my trip to the "Death Coast", in NW Galicia.

Watch the first episode here.

Black and White photography at the Death Coast, Galicia: Episode 1

Come with me as a I go on a photography trip along the beautiful Death Coast, in NW Galicia.

Watch the second episode here.

Fighting the light is futile

Sunny weather is my kryptonite. Not only it burns me, it also burns the dreams I have of making images! Now I'm just being a bit dramatic, but in this video, I struggle quite a bit to find images that work in that light. In the end, I still managed to get a few good shots, so it was a good day.

How to make your photography imperfect (but beautiful)

I've made the case for making our photography imperfect a few times. Today, we'll talk about ways to do so, both in camera and in post processing.

Ash, fog and rain: moody B&W photography in the mountains

I return to a place that burned last summer in a wildfire. This time, there's fog and rain, making the whole place look and feel eerie. The perfect location for some moody black and white photography.

Photography on a foggy morning in the countryside

It's not prime season for fog around here, but we still get the occasional foggy morning every once in a while. And when that happens, you know I'll be out there capturing it. Come with me as I walk the streets of this small town, and the countryside, photographing old buildings, power lines, storks, and much more. All from a different than usual perspective.

A gray and rainy day is a good day for photography

Another gray and rainy day, another day out chasing new images. This time, I visit a familiar landscape just half an hour from my hometown: the beautiful Sil Canyons.

The one thing AI photographers will never have

Today, there's more and better photography being made every day than ever before. And this is only going to get worse with the rise of AI. Yet, I believe that photography as an art has a bright future, because there's one thing that only human photographers can offer, something you should start doing as soon as possible if you want to stand out among the noise.

I love these filters ~ Kase Wolverine Magnetic ND Filters

After losing and breaking my old ND filters, and a few weeks of shooting with welding glass, I finally got a new set of filters. And of course, I went to Lake Michigan to try them out.

High key, low contrast photography at Lake Michigan

Another day of photography at Lake Michigan, another day of high key, low contrast images. This time, though, I get to use two new toys!

Today is Backup Day

There are two types of photographers: those who have lost some of their images, and those who will, eventually.

I'm in the former group, unfortunately.

Today is World Backup Day, the perfect time to make sure you are taking measures against possible failures that could lead to a loss of photographs.

At the very least, you want to have two copies of your data, in different physical locations. The more the better, but it usually comes at the cost of increased complexity. There are many different approaches to this problem; choose one that fits your workflow the best, and stick to it.

I personally have all of my photographs backed up in the cloud. I trust it enough, but not 100%. That's why I also have a local copy of all my photographs in a SSD drive that is kept up to date. And every once in a while, I'll make an extra copy of all the pictures I've rated 1 or more stars in a different hard drive.

No matter what you do, though, try to do something about it before something happens. We photographers spend a lot of time and money on this to have a hard drive failure ruining it all.

An image is a place

An idea from Lynda Barry's What it is that resonated with me. The image as a place you create; similar to the real one you photographed, but different. A place that used to live in your imagination, and is brought into existance through your camera.

10 practical photography tips and accessories

Ten things I do, practices I follow, and accessories I use on a regular basis.

I missed this

It had been a while! I finally drove somewhere for photography, and it felt amazing. I got to spend a few hours at Lake Michigan, photographing the beautiful sand dunes of Indiana Dunes National Park.

One image at a time

Creating a meaningful body of work takes time -- a lot of time. We need to be patient, believe in yourselves, and keep looking for images everywhere, everyday.

Remember that photography is a long term game, something we need to do as often as possible. Because even the tiniest contributions add up.

If it feels right, shoot it

I've been working on some old photos. I just got to the ones I made in the magical forest of Fanal, in Madeira. It's been more than a year and a half since then, and I still get goosebumps when I see those images show up on my laptop.

Even though going through so many photographs takes quite some time, I really appreciate the fact that I took that many. Take the ones above as an example: the same composition, captured several times with just slight variations.

While always important, this is even more relevant when there is an interplay between the subject and other elements, or when there are two or more subjects (like in these images, you could argue).

All of the photos above could've worked just fine, as they all captured what I saw there. Two stunning trees entangled in a beautiful dance. The small variations I captured here don't make that much of a difference and yet, I always find one or two that I like more the rest, for whatever reason.

That's why I find it so important to take multiple shots of the same composition, with tiny variations. It can be very hard to decide which one is the best one in the field, especially when the conditions are changing by the second (like they do in Fanal).

As I usually say, if it feels right, shoot it. Make the call later.