Ranting and Healing (now with pictures)

I feel like I need to go back to Florida, for a little bit, and photograph some Judo action.
I haven’t been with the pack since last summer (I actually went for much more important reasons), and stayed with a good friend and coach in Boca Raton, I was supposed to take some pictures for them:


but somebody else showed with a camera and I only got a couple of test shots before I realized that I rather do Judo (Above is Bill Hudson Sensei, at Delray Judo Club), but I really want to go back and take another shot at them.

Street photography is another thing that I’ve been missing since I stopped working in the district, I really need to get my ass in gear and take some more shots, here are some of my favorites:























I just got done going thru most of my images from last year, and I will be archiving them (and not looking at them for a while), so as to force myself to take new pictures (as opposed to relying on older ones when I need an image for the blog).

I’ve spent some time feeling down on my photography, guess it happens to us all, but after a couple of jobs last year (that didn’t go the way I was planning), and after putting so much time on networking, to get basically nothing in return, I guess I felt that my idea of becoming a “pro” was never gonna come to fruition… and it sucks, but recently I have become a little more aware of something I’ve known for a long time… I will be taking pictures one way or another, and whether I get pay for it or not, it doesn’t change that I’ve been doing this since day fucking one for the love of the craft, and to become better at it. Getting published/paid for what I love to do would be great, but it won’t be defining of who I am as a photographer.

On a positive note, I did do a couple of free portrait sessions with two performers last year (a comedian and a musician), that I was fairly happy with the end result, and it taught me the value of planning ahead for a session.

First off, Mike Smith (go to his “Home” page and watch the video of his performance in Baltimore)





and now, Johnny “Jet” Del Rosario





And here are a couple of shots from the The IPI (International Psychotherapy Institute) dinner gala (thanks to Darin Del Rosario who is an excellent photographer in his own right (and taught me a lot about event photography), and his wife,Fran Bilotta):





I will continue to take this little “jobs” to further my photography technique, and to try and learn new things, on a setting that offers little to no risk.

Also, my favorite person in the world, Pat started her new blog, it is in Spanish, but you can go and see the pictures (and she speaks English, so go ahead and ask her shit). Also, she bought a new lens and had it delivered to me until she gets here in a couple of weeks (Canon 70-300 IS), and I gotta say, I love that lens. I miss the Macro capabilities of my shitty Tamron (that will get replace this year), but between the IS, and the sharpness, I’m loving this lens (although, just like the Tamron, it is pretty soft on the far end of the zoom [and, just like the Tamron, I gotta stop it down to at least F/8 to get usable shots]). I will be posting some shots taken with the new lens soon.

If you made it this far, thank you, I know it was a long rant, here are the rest of my favorite shots from last year (in no particular order):
 













And here’s to a better year in photography (6 months into it)…
Andres Trujillo
”Photographer”

Lights, budget wizards, and the value of hard work

So, I’ve sold my Rebel Xsi and Canon 18-55 kit lens, and I upgraded to a second hand Canon 50D (yay, for me), many thanks to Mr Kerry Garrison and Camera Dojo (the man answered all the questions I had for him, and really guided me to the best option from the ones I had on the table). I also picked up a set of budget wizards (or as Kerry calls them “poverty wizards”), and I’m now working on my off camera flash technique. I think I’m almost done with camera equipment, I still want to upgrade my Tamron 70-300 variable aperture, as it is a little bit soft at the wide and full zoom range, and even though I’m looking at the Canon 70-200 F/4 L lens, I might go lower on the totem pole and get the 75-300 IS lens…. We’ll see, I will definitively be renting the 70-300 F/4 and the 85 F/1.8 (both by Canon), for the July 4th week. But I think that most of my money will start going towards education and getting better at the craft now (Books, classes, etc), and I’m particularly looking at Peachpit’s online library for resources (rather than spending on a shit ton of paper books I will have no space for)…. We’ll see.

 

I’ve been listening to a lot of old podcast (TWIP, Camera Dojo, Range Finder Radio), and realized how different is the motivation I get from different photographers (for example: Zack Arias depresses me for my lack of knowledge, but makes me want to be better. David Duchemin inspires me to take better pictures and be a better person. Joe McNally/Scott Kelby/Joey L just make me smile and their images inspire me).

 

Also, a new personal project is starting to take shape, and I probably will start shooting for it after July 4th, thanks in great part to Stephen Poff’s (and Tristan Penner), own project, I will be taking a picture a week for a year, mostly to practice camera and lighting techniques, hopefully I’ll find enough people, and when I don’t have a subject, I will take a self portrait…. Yeah, I know, I hope I find enough people too.

In other news, Pat (who I’ve mentioned a couple of times) is getting ready to launch a blog on travel/life style and photography, and I’m waiting anxiously to start reading it (hopefully she’ll give me an interview). I don’t get tired of saying it, that woman has a great eye and taste for photography.

Thanks for Reading