What a week

So I’ve been out of the count for a better part of a week, due to some hamstring related back pain… needless to say, I didn’t do squad this weekend, sometimes my body REALLY sucks.



Anyway, as I mentioned, I pretty much got rid of my zoom lenses, and I only carry two primes in my bag, the 50mm 1.8 (nifty fifty), and my new baby, the 85mm 1.8.

So far I’ve been really happy with the new lens, the biggest issue is getting used to the focal length, not being able to zoom to adjust the frame and composition (I have to zoom with my legs). But that’s only until I get used to it, other than that, I freaking love the lens.

        


In other news, Apple banned the 500px app recently, due to boobies (I’m sure there’s a more mature way to say this, but this pretty much sums the extend of the problem). Don’t get me wrong, I understand that you do not want to promote porn in your apps (so lets ignore this, and this, and perhaps this too), but even though there are nudes in 500px, they were more artistic than racy (some exceptions, but as a general rule). I have never gone to 500px or Flickr for racy pictures, or for boobies, I go for art. If I want racy pictures within an app, I’ll use Tumblr (where you get racy pictures whether you want to or not), or if I am specifically looking for it, I’ll use this

unless they decide to block it too

500px has a “safe” filter applied to every account by default (Hell, you can’t upload a picture without specifying if it is safe or not), you have to go in and turn it off (however, it is up to the photographer to categorize a picture as “safe” or “not safe” so I will admit that it isn’t perfect), so this “protecting” the innocent sensibilities of the users seem out of place, this is just a case of not understanding the app enough before making a decision, and it is a shortcoming on Apple’s  side (the app has been reinstated in the app store [today], with an NC-17 rating and a “report” button, however, there were several other apps using 500px API available in the app store during this time… Are you fucking kidding me Apple?).

Anyway, in other news, Flickr new updated app… I’ve been burned before by Flickr, so it is hard for me to say this, I-LOVE-IT

hey, Apple, I did a search for “boobies” in the Flickr app, guess what I found?... BOOBIES (not shown here), and not even the classy type, noooo, I found among other shots, cell phone self shots of boobies…. I’m a child, I know that.

Anyway, the app looks amazing (it actually looks better than the website), and it shows as a very nice step on the right direction… I do have one request, they need to make an app for the iPad… that’s it, other than that, I’m very happy.

Oh well, I guess that’s my rant for the day, here are some pictures:

 



 

 


 










Thank you very much for reading

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”