Fenced in, V

Tahoe, California, December 2024.

From the video Photography under a foot of snow in Tahoe.

Golden Gate Bridge, XXIV

San Francisco, January 2025.

From A foggy morning on the Golden Gate Bridge.

A foggy morning on the Golden Gate Bridge

As a big part of the country freezes, and another burns, the weather here on the central coast of California should be considered nothing short of perfect.

I miss the foggy days of summer, though. I got plenty of that magical fog for a couple of months, but I didn’t set foot on the Golden Gate Bridge during that time. I’d already photographed it in those conditions before, and I guess I wanted to explore other spots in the city. Then the fog was gone, and I regretted not visiting it at least once.

A few days ago, the fog came back for a few hours, and I immediately knew where I was going. It was magical.

There’s no shortage of beautiful places in the world, but a handful of them feel truly especial under the right conditions. The Golden Gate Bridge gave me goosebumps the first day I walked on it in thick, heavy fog, and it continues to do so every time. The foghorns, the majestic towers, the water below.

I recommend using some good noice canceling headphones, though. It gets very loud from the traffic!

Logos and visual clutter

A few years ago, my in-laws were doing some repairs on their house. Their yard was littered with signs from all the construction companies involved in the project. Half-joking, I asked if they were getting a discount for the free advertising. I was surprised to learn from one of the contractors that this common practice is actually part of the contract.

I've always disliked how companies treat us like walking billboards. Look around, and you’ll see logos everywhere: from cars to clothes to most everyday objects. As I write this, I can easily spot over a dozen logos on my desk: my water bottle, notebooks, pens, hard drives, desk fan, phone charger, monitor, laptop, keyboard, and even the desk itself. There's so much visual clutter everywhere.

As you might have guessed from my photography work, I appreciate minimalist design, and I believe that most logos cheapen an otherwise well designed object. The best designs are probably those that are immediately recognizable without the need of a logo.

Bringing it back to photography: my Sony camera has 3 logos on it; plus at least a couple more on whatever lens I might be using. This is on top of other clutter like the model name, or things like "4k steadyshot inside". The tripod will have at least another two, one of the legs and another one on the plate. And so on.

I personally like to cover much of my camera gear with tape. I can't tape over everything, for example tape on the tripod will eventually start to slide and leave sticky residue everywhere. Still, I think cameras look better when they're as simple as possible.

I know, I know. This all might sound silly to most of you, but I find it incredibly distracting. I'm far from living a logo-free life, but I'm trying my best here.

Rocks of Time, IX

Sonoma Coast, California, December 2024.

From the video Photography in zero visibility at the Sonoma Coast.

I watched a review of my favorite lens and it ruined my day

The Tamron 28-200mm is, without a doubt,my all-time favorite lens. It’s rarely left my camera since I bought it 4 years ago, coming with me to several countries and through all kinds of conditions -- from the heat of the desert to bitterly cold blizzards. It’s never let me down, and I’ve take thousands of photographs I truly love with it.

I was perfectly happy with this lens... until I made the mistake of watching an old review of it. The reviewer found it soft at certain focal lengths, too slow, lacking optical stabilization, incapable of resolving detail for high-res sensors, and more. Their tests were clear and convincing, too.

What followed were a couple of days of unnecessary self-doubt. I’m dramatizing a bit here, but I wondered whether there was something wrong with me, how come I can’t see the flaws they were talking about in my photos?

To find out, I compared the Tamron to another one I own, the Sony 35mm GM, a lens that had gotten glowing reviews. The results were clear: the Tamron was soft.

And yet, that was not noticeable in the actual images or the prints I made of them. You have to zoom in to 200%, or beyond, to spot that softness in certain parts of the frame. If anything, the 35mm was too sharp.

After wasting a few hours running silly tests at home, I’m happy to report that I love my lens again, perhaps even more than before.

Take gear reviews with a big grain of salt. There’s nothing wrong with researching and understanding what is that you are getting for your money, especially when you are trying to decide between two similar lenses. But don’t forget to consider your unique needs.

That shiny prime lens might be sharper than the zoom, but will it help you get the shots you want? That big, fast zoom might be technically superior, but will the added weight leave you exhausted after an hour of shooting?

After all, photography is not a science.

Buying cameras and taking photos are two very different hobbies

After years of sharing my work online -my images, my workflow, my opinions, my successes and my mistakes- it still surprises me that most of the little “hate” I’ve received has been about how I treat my cameras.

This happens less now that I’ve switched to digital -apparently, no one seems to care about the fate of a soulless Sony camera. But it was a different story when I used to shoot film with my beloved Bronica SQ-Ai. You’d think I was committing some kind of crime whenever I showed that camera getting rained on. I probably caused some panic attacks the day I dropped it on a sandy beach.

And because the work I created with that beauty is still out there, every once in a while I get another message along those lines.

Whenever I get one of these messages, I think of something I read a while ago about books, which I’ve adapted to cameras: “buying books and reading books are two completely different hobbies”.

There’s nothing wrong with appreciating and loving the design of a beautifully crafted camera, even if it only serves as decoration on a shelf. Just don’t expect everyone to feel the same way towards devices that were meant to take photos out in the field, in the real world.

It's cozy inside

South Lake Tahoe, California, December 2024.

From the video Photography under a foot of snow in Tahoe.

Early morning at the Bay

Bodega Bay, December 2024.

From the video Photography in zero visibility at the Sonoma Coast.

The Truck

San Francisco, January 2025.

Play Here

Nevada, December 2024.

From the video Photography under a foot of snow in Tahoe.

Rocks of Time, VII

Sonoma Coast, California, December 2024.

From the video Photography in zero visibility at the Sonoma Coast.

Photography in zero visibility at the Sonoma Coast

I visit a location I've been neglecting, despite being not too far from where I live: Bodega Bay and the Sonoma Coast. I was expecting some weather and I got plenty of it. Rain, mist, wind, and high surf. I loved it.

Through the snowy forest

Oregon, December 2016.

Wall of Honor

San Francisco, December 2024.

Mirage

Borrego Springs, California, December 2024.

From the video From foggy cemeteries to slot canyons in the American Southwest.

There are no bad places to photograph, only bad conditions

I like to say that instead of photographing a location, I capture the conditions. That’s why I often don’t go somewhere, I go there when something is happening.

That was the case for my last trip to Lake Tahoe. I had been there a few years ago, and struggled with the image-making. I knew the place had potential; I just needed the conditions that work best for me.

Several days before the trip, I noticed the forecast: up to a foot of snow in the Tahoe area. I have some of my favorite spots in the weather app, so I’m almost constantly checking the conditions around me.

Of course, long-term forecasts can be little more than educated guesses, especially when it comes to predicting the weather up in the mountains. So, I waited until the last minute to book a room, once it was pretty clear the snow was coming.

Luckily, prices not only didn’t go up... they dropped. Mid-December is low season in Tahoe. It’s cold for swimming and hiking, but too early for skiing and the holidays. I find that when conditions are bad for crowds, they usually make for good photography… and for finding relatively affordable lodging.

I am so glad I gave Tahoe another chance. After all, there are no bad places to photograph, only bad conditions.

Fallen Leaf, IV

California, December 2024.

From the video Photography under a foot of snow in Tahoe.

Secret door

South Lake Tahoe, California, December 2024.

From the video Photography under a foot of snow in Tahoe.

The tree from the forest

Tahoe, California, December 2024.

From the video Photography under a foot of snow in Tahoe.