journal

Wildfires: beast and beauty

in

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.

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.

Alive by photography

in
 
 

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.

Fighting the light is futile

in

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.

Photography on a foggy morning in the countryside

in

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.

Today is Backup Day

in

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.