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.

Photography for fun ~ Fuji X100T & Sony RX100VA

September 07, 2020 in journal

A little video of Rachel and I having fun doing some photography around Goshen, Indiana, with our two small cameras.

Nothing lasts forever

September 05, 2020 in journal

Hello, friend, from somewhere in Iowa.

I’m typing this on my iPad from the passenger seat of our truck. Today, we left Indiana after being there for a couple of months, as we head West in the search of new adventures.

We’ve “moved” several times in the last few years. It doesn’t get any easier. Leaving behind a place and a routine, the comfort and safety they provide, and the people you shared your life with even if only for a few weeks, is always hard. And in some ways, the uncertainty of a road trip can be a bit scary.

I’ve come to realize that all of this is a good reminder, though: nothing lasts forever. Memento mori, some say. This is a fact we all are aware of, but it can get lost in the everyday, automatic behaviors we engage in.

Knowing that we only have a few weeks left of whatever we are doing, of wherever we are, and of whoever we are with, makes me enjoy all of it a bit more. It makes everyone around us that way.

It wasn’t too long ago when we were saying good bye to everyone in Spain over meals and drinks, or when we were celebrating being back with our loved ones in Indiana. This week, it was time to enjoy the last few days with them.

Even though I always try to keep in mind how lucky I am to even be alive, this approach to life has made me even more aware. Every day is special in a different way.

Take it all in today. Because we aren’t going to be here tomorrow.

How to see images

September 02, 2020 in journal

A beautiful scene is not enough to make a good image. Photography is not about capturing, it’s about creating our own fantasies and illusions to express what we feel. For that, we need to stop seeing reality as it is, and start seeing “in images”.

How to afford new cameras and lenses

September 02, 2020 in journal

I still remember the moment I threw that last cigarette butt on the ground. It’s been almost 5 years since I quit smoking.

Health had always been a concern, but at the time, all I could think about was all the money I was going to save by quitting -money I was planning to spend on new cameras and lenses, of course. It was an exciting plan and it helped me quit.

Indeed, I was spending a lot of money on tobacco. It was hard to see on a daily basis, it was “just” $5 a day. But I did the math, and turned out to be more $2,000 a year. Or, the way I started to see it, a new A7iii every year.

Humans are terrible at understanding things that are far away in time. That’s why most services today are based on subscriptions: it’s just X a month!. These little things add up, though, and quite fast. Translating the annual cost into photography gear helps me see the big picture.

These are other ways I stopped wasting my money:

I don’t drink alcohol anymore. I used to, at least one beer a day, and probably a glass of wine afterwards. Definitely more on the weekends. This amounted to even more money than smoking: 500 rolls of HP5 a year.
Starbucks must miss me. I used to go there on a daily basis, spending at least a couple of good ND filters a month, or a new RX100vii a year.
The brewery¹ we had downstairs in Portland? We used to go there at least once a week, and going through the charges of 2017, I see we spent a Hasselblad 500cm with 80mm lens on that one place in just 10 months. Today, I go out less often -and yes, the pandemic has helped quite a bit here- and save a lot of money.
My phone (an iPhone 7 Plus) is 4 years old. I used to switch to a new phone every year, which cost me a round-trip to Iceland every 12 months.

A beer here. A coffee there. A dinner out. A new gadget. Nothing big, just little treats. But these small things add up and were making a dent on my savings.

Most people think that the key to save money is to make more, when it’s much easier -and faster- to lower your expenses and live below your means. And the good thing is, this doesn’t have to involve big changes, but we can do it by changing small bad habits we do on a daily basis.

Just by not smoking, not drinking alcohol, making coffee at home instead of getting it to go, cooking at home more often, and not buying a new phone every year, I’m saving a lot of money. Money I can invest on things like camera gear or a trip somewhere to make images. Translating those saving into specific things you can do with that money -like buying photography gear- can help.

Big change is always about the little things.

1: The brewery closed its doors just a few months after we left Portland. Apparently, they couldn’t afford rent anymore. Coincidence? Or did our departure have something to do? I will never know.

Nutrition and Exercise for Photographers: my simple approach

August 31, 2020 in journal

We, outdoor photographers, need to be able to deal with the heat and the cold, the sun and the snow, standing up at the same spot for hours waiting for that shot, or hiking for miles looking for an image.

If we can go further, stay out for longer, deal with uncomfortable situations better, and remain focused on the goal, our chances to make a good image increase exponentially.

For the last few years, but especially in this very challenging 2020, I’ve been experimenting with different approaches to nutrition, exercise and lifestyle in general that are making me stronger, and in the process, helping me grow as a photographer.

In this video, I want to share some of those ideas and practices, because they might help you too.

Stay hungry

August 28, 2020 in journal

When was the last time you were hungry? I don’t mean a craving, nor your stomach complaining a bit around noon. I mean really hungry.

We are an overfed society. We’ve forgotten what it means to be hungry, to the point that we avoid it at all costs. We are always snacking. Always seeking comfort.

Our bodies are supposed to experience hunger from time to time. Somehow, it is when your body starts to complain about the lack of food, that we have the most mental clarity and even physical energy. The body is probably telling us is time to go out and pick some fruit, or hunt a rabbit.

I’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting for almost 2 years. On average, I fast 2-3 days a week: I go through periods of time where I fast for 20 hours a day and eat all my calories within the other 4-hour window, what is called a 20:4 fast; other times, I settle on a 16:8 schedule.

As a bare minimum, I go 14 hours without food - the time between dinner and breakfast. I usually have dinner 2-3 hours before bed, and I don’t eat anything until at least 3 hours after waking.

While challenging at first, intermittent fasting has taught me many lessons about myself:

I can tell real hunger from a craving

Is that feeling in your stomach hunger? Or is it produced by a craving? Could it even be anxiety? If you haven’t felt hungry in a while, it can be really hard to tell.

I’d forgotten what real hunger feels like. Now, I know, so I can act accordingly.

I think better on an empty stomach

My mind is much sharper when my body isn’t busy digesting food. I try to do all my writing and reading on an empty stomach, and leave leisure and more passive activities (like watching YouTube) for after meals.

Skipping breakfast makes me stronger

I go on a 6-mile walk / run every morning, followed by 100 push ups. Only then I have breakfast. I’m just unable to perform if I have food before any kind of exercise.

Of course, if the physical activity extends for a long period of time (say, a long hike), I’ll have snacks here and there to replenish my energy.

Food tastes so much better

3:00pm is my favorite time of the day. After working out in my bedroom and an hour of incline walking on the treadmill, I’m ready for lunch. I reward myself with a huge -and I mean it, huge- salad.

Every bite tastes better than the previous one. I appreciate every single flavor in that salad because my body is ready for that food. When we keep ourselves fed all the time, meals become an almost automatic and mindless activity - there’s no joy, just comfort seeking.

Discomfort makes you stronger

In a time when society seems to seek comfort at all times, I believe it's more important than ever to embrace uncomfortable situations. If we never face discomfort, we become weak.

As photographers, we need to be ready to face the heat and the cold, the sun and the snow, standing up for hours waiting for a shot, or hiking for miles and miles looking for that image.

Fasting is just one thing we can practice often so we don’t get used to comfort, and we can remain strong. Exercising, and even taking cold showers are other two examples.

It's about time we tell our bodies to not get too comfy.

Stay hungry.

APS-C lenses on Full Frame bodies: best of both worlds?

August 26, 2020 in journal

In this video, I'll try to show you why using APS-C lenses on a Full Frame body not only might make sense, but it can also be a great way to achieve performance that'd be very hard to get otherwise.

I used a Sony a7rii and the following APS-C lenses: Rokinon 12mm f/2, Sigma 16mm f/1.4, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Sigma 56mm f/1.4, Sony Zeiss 16-70mm f/4, Sony 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3. Check out some of the examples in this gallery:

The blessing of the beginner

August 25, 2020 in journal

If you are just starting out your artistic journey, you are blessed with freedom. You can choose to do whatever you want. You get to build your skills, your style, and your portfolio along with your audience.

A body of work needs some consistency over time, for both the artist and the audience's sake. A singer builds an audience because they stay loyal to a genre and style.

All artists should evolve. But when you've established an audience, change is hard. When a band releases a new album that doesn't sound like them, fans complain. It doesn't matter if it's good or not, what matters is that it wasn't what they were expecting.

Take advantage of your current freedom, don't be afraid of experimenting and sharing the results. Eventually, you'll settle on a style that clicks with you and an audience.

POV Photography around Lake Wawasee, Indiana

August 24, 2020 in journal

A beautiful morning walking and making images around Lake Wawasee, Indiana.

How I edit my Black and White images in Adobe Lightroom CC

August 20, 2020 in journal

In this video, I edit one of my black and white image as I guide through some of the most important tools I use on a daily basis.

How to make time for photography

August 17, 2020 in journal

One of the recurring themes in the messages I get from other photographers is about their struggle to find time for photography on a daily basis.

Today, we are so busy all the time! It's the busyness era. If you aren't doing something, you are falling behind. It's all about the hustle, right?

This is an issue I'm deeply interested in. Recently, I read the book related to this topic, Make Time, and in this video I share some of the key points from the book, along with some of my own, all applied to photography.

We'll see why we are so busy, why we need to make time for photography, the highlight of the day, and several tips to make time for photography.

When is an image worth risking your life?

August 14, 2020 in journal

A big storm was approaching really quick from the West. They were talking about winds up to 100mph and heavy rain -clearly a time to stay indoors, but nothing to worry about. Then, our phones started to go crazy with a sound I hadn't heard in years, and for very different reasons. Back then, it was an Amber alert. This time, though, it was a tornado warning, the first one I'd ever seen.

As we rushed to gather a few things -cameras included, of course- and went down to the crawl space, I thought about how cool it'd be to make an image of a tornado. Should I shelter or should I just wait at the window, ready to capture whatever might happen in the next few minutes?

After a few seconds of doubt, I decided to join the others. We sheltered for 15 minutes until the alert expired. An EF-1 tornado touched down some 10 miles away. A funnel cloud did a bit of damage in our local area as it took down a few trees on nearby power lines - we lost power for 24 hours and, as of the time of writing this, almost 5 days later, we still haven't gotten Internet back.

I'm glad I decided to shelter and not chase the possible tornado. This is one of those cases where an image is not worth risking your life. Capturing that photo would have made no difference.

I can think of just a handful of situations where it'd be worth it, though - scenarios where I'd put myself at risk to take the photo. After all, images have the potential to change the world, if the moment is powerful enough. From the photos of Tiananmen square to the video of George Floyd's death, visual records can spark a revolution and change -or even save- the lives of many.

When it comes to art, though, it's never worth it. It's not only about you - putting yourself at risk might put someone else in danger as well, like a rescue team trying to get to you. Think twice about the possible consequences of making that image.

I've left plenty of images behind because it felt unsafe. Maybe I had to get too close to a cliff, the terrain wasn't stable, it was too windy, or icy, or just too hard to get to. I regret none of those, because more important than getting that one image is to be able to come back tomorrow and get another one.

Please be safe out there, and happy shooting!

Photography is messsy

August 13, 2020 in journal

Perfection is just a distraction, yet another excuse to not do something. I tell myself this sunrise isn't good enough anyway, it's not foggy, it isn't even cloudy. All I want is to watch a few more reviews so I can choose a new lens and camera.

Photography is messy and chaotic, and that's the fun part of it. We need to embrace the uncertainity, make it part of our daily lives and create every day.

How I come up with new ideas

August 06, 2020 in journal

I love the default Notes app on iOS - because it synchronizes across all my devices, it's like having a notebook always with me.

One of the ways I use the Notes app is to capture all my thoughts and ideas, in whatever form they might happen. Every day, I create a new note and I start filling it with everything the day might bring: from a rough schedule of how I expect the day to go, to notes from books and articles I read, or podcasts I listen to, including images of stuff I find interesting, inspiring quotes, audio recordings of ideas that come to mind, and in general, anything that goes through my mind that might be useful or inspiring in the future.

Every once in a while, usually on the weekend, I'll go through my notes and pick the most interesting parts. This is how I come up with ideas for my videos / blog posts, places I want to photograph, and how I learn (some of the things I write down are good starting points to research more about the topic).

Allow yourself to take bad photos

August 06, 2020 in journal

Inspiration comes from action, so start taking photos. Allow yourself to make bad photographs, do it for the sake of it, with no purpose in mind. Art is more about play and less about thinking.