Road to the Lost Coast, November 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 150mm f/4
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Kodak D76

The Lost Coast, one of the last -mostly- undeveloped streches in the California coast. And it shows: the road to get there from Eureka is... bad. But once you get there, the dozen potholes you hit during the past hour become part of the past.

I took this photo where the road starts its way down to meet the ocean. From there, you have several miles of beaches you'll get to enjoy by yourself. They aren't the kind of beaches you are going to get a tan on though. And I love it.

I wanted to create 3 layers in this photo: the road, the rock in front of the ocean, and the sky.

The road leads to the needle without taking most of the frame. The use of the 150mm helped giving it the importance it deserves, but also "compressing" the background that in this case is the main subject.

I thought about placing the horizon lower (respect to the needle) but I went with this approach at the end: the top of the needle "touches" where the sea and sky meet. I think this creates some empty space that helps in an already busy composition.

Elk, November 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 250mm f/5.6
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Kodak D76

On our way back from the Redwood National and State Parks, we saw this gang of Elk next to the road and, of course, stopped to take some shots.

They were chilling and not moving much, so I had time to set up my tripod and use my long lens, the 250mm. Not recommended to handhold that lens.

Badwater of Death Valley, December 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC

Who says you need a wide angle to photograph the ground? After trying to visualize a compelling shot using the 50mm, I decided to go with the 80mm and capture the contrast between the saline bottom of Badwater basin and the impressive, dark "wall" that the nearby mountains create (have you noticed the car?).

Mesquite Dunes of Death Valley, December 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC

I'd photographed these dunes before, but bad timing didn't allow for those "classic" shots at sunset time. This time, I was ready.

I was expecting good compositions showing the contrast between the bright sand and the deep shadows that the low Sun would create, but I found much more than that. This is just the first of a series of shots I took there and I love.

The 50mm seemed like the obvious choice here, but I decided to use the 80mm and "compress" the background more with the dunes. I thought it'd create a nice contrast between the two different types of landscape.

Putting your own platform first

This is a recurrent new year's resolution, but this time I'm very serious about this one: putting my own platform, aka this website, first.

I use and plan on keeping using many social networks: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube... I believe they are very important to reach people who might be interested in what you do, no matter what that is.

But I also believe that you should have a centralized place where anyone can find almost anything about that thing that you do. A place you can refer someone to, instead of giving them your Instagram handler. And this website is not that place. At least not yet.

I've been prioritizing other platforms, posting my newest content there first, but that changes in 2018.

Let's do it.

Padilla Bay, May 2017

Digital shot
Camera and lens: Sony a6000, 55-210mm 4.5-6.3
Exposure: 152-second exposure using welding glass as ND filter

Mendocino, November 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 150mm f/4
Film stock: Ilford HP5
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC

North Cascades National Park, September 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 150mm f/4
Film stock: Ilford HP5
Exposure: 800
Developer: Kodak D-76

Watch the video on my YouTube channel.

American Road Trip Journal #10: Bye Oregon, Hi California!

I finally had some time to work on a video (it'd been a while), and here it is!

The first part of the video is an update about the trip (I also posted something here a few days ago). The second half is the actual episode, the first from California.

I have a lot of footage, enough for at least another 15 episodes. But lack of time and pretty bad Internet might limit updates in the next 2-3 weeks. They will come though, eventually!

American Road Trip Journal #8: Oregon Dunes and Heceta Head Lighthouse

Finally got some time to work on videos and most importantly, wifi to upload them :)

This is the first of the many to come from the road. Based in Coos Bay for that week, I make a quick visit to the Oregon Dunes and Heceta Head Lighthouse where I tried to take a shot that didn't really work out.