Arturo Rubio Photography

Waste collector. Tijuana, Mexico. 2011

2011-07-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Nortec Hiperboreal concert at TJ Beer Fest 2011

2011-07-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 16th, Nortec Collective: Hiperboreal presented their new album "Border Revolver" at TJ Beer Fest 2011 in Tijuana, Mexico. The Tijuana band got a great response from the attending crowd during the live concert, which took place at Tijuana's famous Avenida Revolucion. A two-block section of this street was blocked off to fit in the stage and beer stands.

Above, a small selection of images taken during Hiperboreal's concert.

Their album is available online as a free DOWNLOAD.

Shoeshiner - Tijuana, Mexico. 2011

2011-07-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

ON SALE! 25% off all Fine Art prints.

2011-06-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

I'm running a sale starting today and ending on June 29th. 25% off all prints from the Fine Art Collection. Go to http://artrubio.com/fineart and choose from among 30+ images in sizes 8x10 to 16x20. Choose from color, b&w and metallic prints.

CODE: PRINTS25

No minumum purchase.

2011 San Diego Heart Beach Ball

2011-06-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the American Heart Association's 2011 Heart Beach Ball at the Hotel Del Coronado. Like always there was a great turnout. It was a little overcast, but there were still a lot of opportunities for some great shots. It's always a lot of fun working with the AHA folks.

Next up, the American Heart Association Heart Walk at Balboa Park in September.

Daniella

2011-05-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the wife, three kids and I, packed our bags and drove about an hour north of San Diego to visit my brother and his family. It had been a while since we'd visited, so we were looking forward to this quick trip. We relaxed for a couple days and had a great time.

One of my nieces wanted some pictures taken, so I got my stuff from the trunk of my car and got down to work. Of course, with some help from my wife/assistant/MUA. Once she'd done the makeup we started looking into the lighting, background, etc.

We started with the head shots first. Here's one of our favorites.

Arturito, our three-year-old, doesn't really enjoy being left out of the action, so he was doing everything in his power to get noticed. The usual yelling, crying and just being annoying. He didn't calm down until we included him in a couple of the shots. After that he lost interest and went back to watching TV.

Once we were done with the head shots we moved Daniella to one of the sofas in the living room to try a few other options. The following shot was taken by my wife, Lourdes, while I was adjusting the flash and umbrella.

Here's one of the shots we really liked from the sofa series.

We tried to do continue the shoot outdoors at a really nice park nearby. Several gazebos and an artificial lake made for some great locations and backgrounds, but alas, the weather did not cooperate. The sky became terribly overcast and the wind almost blew us and our equipment away.

We plan on going back once the weather gets sunnier, and warmer, to finish the outdoor session.

But still, we had a great time.

Third Annual Sharp Chula Vista Golf Tournament

2011-05-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

I covered the Third Annual Sharp Chula Vista Golf Tournament at Salt Creek Golf Club again this year (May 20th). I've had the opportunity to work with Sharp covering several of their events in the past, and it's always been a great experience.

Proceeds from this event will benefit the new, state-of-the-art Cancer Center at Sharp Chula Vista Center, opening Spring 2012.

Great job guys! Till the next event.

Episodios Urbanos / Urban Episodes

2011-04-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ya está a la venta Episodios Urbanos, el primer libro de fotografía de Unión Visual de Arte!

Fotografía urbana por Estefany Maya, Julio Chavez y Arturo Rubio del colectivo tijuanense Unión Visual de Arte. Imágenes creadas en Barcelona, Londres, Paris, Nueva York, México y mas ciudades.
(200 paginas 10x8, 147 fotografías a color, 49 fotografías blanco y negro, texto en Español)

On sale now! Episodios Urbanos ( Urban Episodes), Unión Visual de Arte's first photography book!

Urban photography by Estefany Maya, Julio Chavez and Arturo Rubio, from the Tijuana-based colective Unión Visual de Arte. Images made in Barcelona, London, Paris, New York, México and many other cities.
(200 10x8 pages, 147 color images, 49 black and white images, Spanish text)

Episodios Urbanos by Unión Visual de Arte | Make Your Own Book

Arturo Rubio Photography

Enrique Oliva's Life Documentation project

2011-03-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

There’s a world out there, and there’s always the opportunity to learn from other folks, find and admire new works of art, discover new projects or ways to interpret photography.

Because of this I have thought about getting in touch with photographers from other cities and countries. For what purpose?

First, interacting with other people is always a good thing. You never stop learning. Second, putting a face, or voice, to a series of images, gives the whole thing a whole new perspective. Understanding why the photographer chose to create those images, and what his ultimate goal is, allows for a much deeper appreciation of his work.

So, I will sporadically be displaying images created by other photographers, in conjunction with brief interviews.

First up is Enrique Oliva, a photographer from Philadelphia. Enrique is very into street photography. He recently began a project with which he intends to create an historical record of his home town, while seeking photographers from other cities who would be interested in documenting their own cities.

Enrique sees this project as an effort to document daily life in the town where he has grown up. His “Life Documentation” project is just starting, but with the help from other photographers he may be able to create a very important historical record.

Let’s begin.

©Enrique Oliva

1. How long have you been a photographer?

I've been snapping shots at things for quite some time. Unfortunately I can't pair that with consistently. I started taking photography a bit seriously about 2 years ago, i would say. Meaning carrying my camera around as if it were my wallet and shooting almost everyday.

©Enrique Oliva

2. What made you get into photography?

I remember my Pop having a 35mm Pentax MX (if my memory as child serves me well) and was always intrigued by it and him. I remember him taking pictures of my mother sitting at the kitchen table or in the park and of birds that would land in our huge tree in the backyard. I, not knowing you weren't supposed to open the rear of the camera, messed up a few rolls of film for him. You're welcome Pop. Then Polaroids stepped in the picture....I don't think that did film any good...

Years passed and I was always involved in some sort of art. From taking pictures to playing instruments, painting, drawing, anything i could make with my hands.

My friend Kelly and I decided we wanted to pursue an art of some sort after high school. Well, he chose to do photography and I went on to do painting. As we were close friends, i would always be his subject for school projects and would always be really excited when I got to go to the dark room with him to develop photos. The dark room was fascinating. It seems that while studying how to paint, I was also reading what I could about photography on my free time. I think I took it more seriously than Kelly did. I became well versed in the world of photography for a while.

Anyhow, I went off and did my thing with paintings and did a few shows, traveled a bit as a working artist, and ended up needing money, as most artists do. Life caught up to me and I took a job and forgot about the arts for a while. Not completely, though, as I fell ass backwards into the culinary arts. I've been cooking for the past 7 or 8 years now in some of Philadelphia's best restaurants and have learned a great deal. Such as: Assume everything is hot in a kitchen!....Very interesting art and a very demanding art (i think its more of a trade than an art, myself) that leaves you for no time for anything else in life. I needed an outlet. Something of what I used to do and be involved in. Cooking has become a job to me now.

One day a couple of years ago I decided to purchase a camera. Started reading up on my cameras again and took the plunge. I was also having my first child and what a simple perfect first subject. Well that camera hasn't left my side since and I have a lot more shooting left to do.

©Enrique Oliva

3. What makes you go out into the streets of Philadelphia in search of images?

Philadelphia is a very "in your face" type of city. You have no choice but to go out in the streets. To live in Philly is to walk Philly and walking Philly is something people take for granted. So much of what this city is, is just at arm’s reach. Whether it be good or bad, clean, dirty, evil, holy, criminal or just, it's just forgotten about and overlooked. Dismissed in the craze of needing to get to the place you need to get to. In the big picture of the Philly day to day grind, peripheral vision doesn't exist. I purposely look for these things that people tend to walk right by. Sometimes pointing your camera at certain people here isn't very welcome because of that fact.

I sometimes want the picture so bad I take the picture with the camera just hanging off my chest hoping they didn't hear my shutter go off. It's almost a rush to get yourself in those situations or to approach someone for their portrait knowing damn well this person shouldn't be messed with. But to come away from it all with a good shot is super rewarding. In the same breath though, you might come up empty handed. It feels like I'm an artist again.

©Enrique Oliva

4. Can you explain what you would like to achieve with your Life Documentation project?

Philadelphia has tons and tons of history. We've all seen it from documentaries on TV to black and white photo books of the old days. We live off of this history. Everyone always compares everything from the past. I think it’s becoming a little boring that we ride the wave of what used to be instead of creating our own wave. I want to create my modern history. What the city I live in is like in my day. There's a lot of dark corners out there (and some bright ones too) I plan to catch. I want to create a display of photos I shot myself and a collage of the photos people send me from their city. My modern history would be that of my pictures and that of the use of technology in our day to reach people with ease to collaborate with. The achievement would be recognized if in many years later this display would show our future generation my (our) "modern history".

©Enrique Oliva

5. Any parting thoughts?

My head is completely wrapped in this project right now. It's a couple of months old and everyday new ideas come into play. And every day I check my mail box hoping to find one photo mailed to this project. That would add so much hope. I've not yet received any photos but have made a great contact and pen pal in Arturo. I'm sure one day they'll come pouring in.....

Every 7 days I plan to hit 3 new cities telling people about my project via internet advertising, starting from the west coast back to the east coast. Might even hit some other countries as well.

I'm determined to make this project happen and OUR photos displayed!

To see Enrique’s portfolio please visit http://www.circled3.com/index.html

If you’re interested in collaborating with Enrique send an e-mail to eoliva@circled3.com

Arturo Rubio Photography

The state of contemporary photography

2011-02-19T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting thread on the current state of contemporary photography. The opinions run the gamut; from the folks who say everything's just dandy, to those that say that digital has made an over-saturation of amateur photographers possible.

I myself lean towards the digitally-induced over-saturation hypothesis, but then again everything is always in state of change. If not, we'd still be shooting with Brownies. And something that I thank the digital revolution for; analog cameras have come down in price incredibly. Now I can play with rangefinders and medium-format cameras I couldn't have afforded 25 years ago.

So you could say that at this moment we can enjoy the best of both worlds, if we choose to.

So anyways, check out the thread and chime in.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=18098&uid=90980083177

Arturo Rubio Photography

Shoe-shiner

2011-02-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

Shoe-shiner - Tijuana, Mexico 2011

Camera: Contax G1
Lens: Carl Zeiss Biogon 28mm f/2.8
Film: Ilford XP2 Super

Arturo Rubio Photography

Divine trinity

2011-02-18T22:26:00.000-08:00


Divine Trinity - Tijuana, Mexico - 2011

Arturo Rubio Photography

Holga digital camera - An interesting concept

2011-02-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

Now this is something I would really like to see become a reality. A digital Holga. Yes, digital; but not the "camera-does-everything-for-you" kinda digital.A Holga with a digital sensor, but pretty much everything else done Lo-Fi.

Right now it's in the concept stage, so don't go running to your favorite camera store and ask to get a demo. Engineer Saikat Biswas has seen an amazing response from interested folks ever since he went online with his take on what a digital Holga would look like, what it would do, and most importantly, what it wouldn't do.

Judging from the images, and the list of features, it definitely sounds very promising. And making it an open-source camera platform? Just think. It's just incredible what can be accomplished when a bunch of people pitch in and churn out something that's pretty much amazing. Linux anyone?

Now imagine the same thing, but the end result is a camera system. The possibilities are endless.

Check it out for yourself.

http://www.saikatbiswas.com/web/Projects/Holga_D.htm

Arturo Rubio Photography

Here's why you need to beat the crap out of your photo gear

2011-02-17T22:03:00.000-08:00

Awesome post by Erick Kim, L.A. street photographer. Photographers who treat their cameras like they're made out of porcelain, take note.

http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/02/why-you-should-always-use-and-abuse-your-gear/#comment-6656

Taxis Downtown Tijuana

2011-02-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Spent a couple hours walking up and down the streets in downtown Tijuana a few weeks ago, Contax G1 in tow. It's a quirky little camera; can't say it's perfect, but there's something about doing street photography with a small -and light- rangefinder camera.

Here's one of my favorite images from that morning.

Arturo Rubio Photography

Limit your creativity

2010-07-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the title above is a bit misleading. The purpose of this post is to give you a few ideas that will help you unleash your creativity, not hinder it. Keep on reading, and you'll find out what kind of limits I'm referring to.

If your photography is in a rut, or just need a little boost to get your creative juices flowing again, there are some exercises that will surely jump-start your image-creating endeavors.

Here's a few little exercises you can try out.

1 - The "one lens a day" exercise

There are those who think that using a zoom lens makes a photographer lazy. And I understand where they're coming from. It's easy to get into the habit of using a wide-angle lens setting for group shots, going to the telephoto side for portraits, and normal lens settings for, well, everything else. All without having to move actually. The zoom lens lets you do that.

But lets say today is your special day, when you can dedicate a day to yourself, and you decide to hit the town with your camera. Get your camera and only one lens, say a wide-angle lens, and hit the street. If you only have a zoom lens then make it a point to only use it at it's wide-angle setting. Beat the temptation to twist the zoom ring and get to the telephoto end of your lens. If you really need to get close, then use your perfectly healthy legs to move closer.

Next day you're out on the street use your lens only as a telephoto, not a wide-angle or normal lens. Again, if you want more space around your subject, then just use your good little legs to take a few steps back. Just be careful and watch where you're going.

Next time you're out use a mid-range setting on your zoom lens. Something closer to a normal lens. You get the idea. Use your imagination.

The idea here is that by limiting yourself to using only one type of lens, or zoom lens setting, you force yourself to work around your limitation, if you can really call it that, and get the most out of the perspective, depth of field and field of view of a certain lens. Try it out.You may be pleasantly surprised at the images you get.

2 - The "one type of subject" exercise

This is an exercise that doesn't really need a long explanation, due to its simplicity. The idea is to go out and shoot only objects that are a certain color. Or maybe if you're into street portraiture take pictures only of people wearing hats, or people wearing T-shirts. Or maybe you'd like to photograph only objects that are round, or square. You get the idea. I've seen photography portfolios showing only objects that are red. This can be quite interesting, especially if there are images of objects you normally don't associate with a certain color, like a red car tire.

3 - The "take thirty steps, turn around and shoot" exercise

No, this is not an exercise where the loser ends up dead. This can be done individually, but it works out better if you're out shooting with several of your photographer friends. Each of you take turns in counting steps and deciding on what direction you want to go. You all decide beforehand if you'll be counting 25 steps, 30 or whatever. You can take little steps, or make your stride really long; although you may look a bit weird.

But anyway, once you and your friends stop counting and walking you remain at that one spot and start shooting. Everyone can turn around and photograph whatever they want, but without moving from that spot.

And you continue with this process taking turns counting and deciding what direction to go. Once shooting is done for the day each photographer selects his or her best shot for each spot that was selected during the session. Then everyone gets together and compares the results. It's amazing to see the different results different folks can get even standing at the same spot. You may capture the same object I shot, but with a different point of view. Or maybe you capture something that I didn't even notice was there.

This is a really interesting exercise I practiced during a recent photography workshop I attended. Try it out. Even if you don't have friends who are willing to go marching up and down the street with you, you can get some interesting images doing it on your own. By limiting your range of movement you force yourself to look in all possible directions, and pay attention to detail, and possibly capture something you wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

So as you can see from the exercises above, you can release your creativity by imposing limits on yourself, as illogical as it may sound. And these are just a few examples. I'm pretty sure if you set your mind to it you can come up with several exercises of your own.

See you out on the street.

Arturo Rubio Photography

Scott Kelby's Third Annual Worldwide Photo Walk

2010-07-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Don't miss Scott Kelby's Third Annual Worldwide Photo Walk this year, taking place on Saturday July 24th. Last year I got together with several other photographers in Tijuana and we had a great time. This year we're getting another dose of the same. Really looking forward to it.

Remember there's going to be prizes for the best images, so go out there and do your best. Take a look at the winning images from the previous two Photo Walks. There's some really great pictures in there.

See you out on the street.

Arturo Rubio Photography

The smoking session - Take 2

2010-06-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

A few shots on film. Then camera brakes. Switch to digital. Here's a few of the pictures I took with my Nikon D200 last Sunday. I'll have to wait till I develop the film to see the B&W versions.

And no, those are not self-inflicted wounds. At least not the type you get when you try to bleed yourself to death. She burned herself while cooking or something.

Arturo Rubio Photography

Sad goodbye to my Sears 35|RF

2010-06-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

In this digital day and age it just feels good to sometimes go back to basics. It's just a whole different experience when you shoot with a good old film camera, and not completely rely on the instant gratification of a digital camera.

Yesterday, during Father's Day celebrations at my parents, I pulled out my Sears 35|RF rangefinder camera, loaded with a roll of black and white film, and took a few shots of my wife sitting on my parents doorstep, happily smoking a cigarette. Ugly vice, but there's something I like about a smoking woman captured in gritty black and white.

I managed to shoot two or three frames before the winder got stuck. Not good, thought I. For a while I couldn't even rewind the used film back into the cartridge, to at least save what frames I had already exposed, before getting all medieval on the camera and tearing it apart. In the end I was finally able to rewind the film back into the cartridge, and then open the back cover to remove it. Film cartridge safe in my camera bag, and useless -but still pretty- camera, now sitting in my little "camera museum" corner of my book case. Keeping it company are a Yashica Electro 35 GX and a Minolta XG-M, all non-functioning.

Now, the only functioning camera I have is a Bronica ETRs Medium Format camera. It's a great camera, but not exactly what you want to be carrying out on the street when you're looking for some quick shots. If you're into street photography, where the idea is to be quick to put your camera to your eye, frame and capture, if possible without your subject even noticing. You can compromise with other cameras, digital or analog, but to me the perfect street camera is a quiet rangefinder with a lens somewhere between wide and normal.

I guess it's time to hit the flea markets and look for my next rangefinder.

Arturo Rubio Photography

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to you all! You know who you are.

Arturo Rubio Photography

Spread the word and help!

2010-06-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Check out HotelsCombined.com . It's a hotel price comparison engine that makes a donation to one of three well-known charities (WWF, Make-A-Wish and World Vision) when you mention them through your blog, Facebook or Twitter.

Go on; won't take you more than five minutes. Visit http://www.hotelscombined.com/Charity.aspx for more information.

Arturo Rubio Photography

American Heart Association - 2010 San Diego Heart Beach Ball

2010-06-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

I had a great time photographing the San Diego Heart Beach Ball yesterday. It's always a lot of fun working with the American Heart Association folks. The organizers were really grateful about my support, and they just didn't tire of letting me know. They're just an awesome team.

This is one of those events where you spend three or four hours walking all over the place taking lots of pictures, and at the end you feel a little tired, but very happy and satisfied at having done a good job for a good cause. It's always very humbling to hear about the experiences of heart disease survivors, as they take the stage and relate their stories. And just the same, it's very heart warming to see how attendees step up to the plate and pitch in to support the AHA monetarily.

I'm pretty sure the images I will provide to the AHA in the next few days will be of great benefit for them. And I hope I can support them again in the future. Keep up the great work guys and gals. You know who you are. :-)

Arturo Rubio Photography

What BP Doesn't Want You To See From Their Oil Spill

2010-06-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

What BP Doesn't Want You To See From Their Oil Spill

American Heart Association - Go Red for Women Luncheon

2010-01-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

This event is right around the corner. I will be providing my photography services in support of this important fund-raising event. Check out the Go Red for Women site, read up and do something about heart disease.

American Heart Association

Go Red for Women Luncheon

featuring

Project Red Runway

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Hotel del Coronado

Go Fashion. Go Women. Go Red.

Arturo Rubio Photography

Desiree & Adam

2009-12-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

I also had the opportunity to work with Desiree and Adam recently on a photo shoot, in preparation of my 2010 marketing campaign. They're a great couple and fun to work with. Here's a couple images from that shoot.

Arturo Rubio Photography

Chantel & Greg

2009-12-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

As part of the marketing campaign I plan on launching next year, tied to the American Heart Association events I will be covering as a volunteer, I scheduled a couple photo shoots this month. I always like to work with new material when I come up with a new marketing piece, create a new website, what have you.

So I went online and posted an ad in an effort to find couples who would be interested in posing in exchange for prints or digital files. Remember an earlier blog post where I mentioned working for free could be a good thing in some cases? Especially if it's in some way related to charity work? Well, these sessions are part of my American Heart Association project, and I'm really glad I'm involved.

Because of this project I got to meet Chantel & Greg. They're new in town and were very excited about doing the shoot. My wife helped out by doing Chantel's makeup and assisting with the reflectors and remote flash during the photo session. We all had a great time and the images that came out of it prove where wonderful. Great team effort guys.

Here's a few images from that session. You can see more in my gallery.

Photo websites: Pictory

2009-12-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Laura Brunow Miner, former Editor-in-Chief of JPG Magazine, has just launched Pictory, a website that showcases great photography in a group essay format. The idea is that each photographer submits one picture on a given subject. The twenty-five best images are then showcased on the site. The site launched with the "Overseas & Overwhelmed: Twenty-five true stories of culture shock" theme.

There's a couple points that are crucial to being considered for the site's photo essays. One, the picture needs to be big. At least 1000 pixels wide. The reason behind this is that big pictures just have more punch, and when viewing images on a monitor bigger is definitely better.

The second point is, pictures need to be properly captioned. Not just the "Man riding a bicycle" type of caption. A good caption goes into a lot more detail as to where the picture was taken, what was happening when the photographer captured the image, etc. The complete caption, along with a powerful image becomes a story in itself, a part of a bigger whole, the group photo essay.

Do you get paid if your image is included in the showcase? No, but you get to be part of a really cool project, and see your image online in all its glory. The images that form each group essay are truly powerful, and are sent in from all over the world, so there is a richness and diversity you don't normally find at other sites.

At this time you can submit images for several upcoming themes:

My most meaningful image
The house I grew up in
Learning from our elders
Local delicacy.

This site definitely looks promising. Keep an eye on it.

The awakening

2009-11-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

On our way home the other day little Arturo fell asleep in his car seat, like he frequently does. He usually looks so peaceful, that I have to take my camera and take some pictures of him. Not as peaceful when he wakes up though, bad mood and all.

So I took a picture of him before we got him out of the car. I took more pictures later, as he woke up. Not a pretty sight. Definitely not the kind of pictures you'd give to a parent after a child's photo session.

The second picture was taken once he had calmed down, and in a better mood. Now that's the kind of picture I would frame and hang on a wall.

Photographers, lets volunteer this Holiday season

2009-11-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving. A time when a lot of people do soul searching, look back at the year that practically has gone by and think of all the things they should be thankful for. That may be enjoying good health, having a job, having a roof over one's head, or food at the table. Sadly, everyone is not that lucky. There are many folks out there for whom each day is a battle. A struggle to feed their children, to find shelter at night, or to find any kind of job. For those unlucky ones, it is sometimes hard, or practically impossible to see light at the end of the tunnel.

But there are ways for those altruistic folks out there to give something back to the community. Go to San Diego Magazine for a listing of charitable opportunities and events in the area. But since my specialty is photography I will go over a couple options we have, as photographers, to volunteer our time and talent to help out others in need.

Help-Portrait
This year, on December 12, photographers around the world will be leveraging their skills to give a glimmer of hope to those going through rough times. Portrait shots will be taken of those who are out of a job, homeless, or in any way going through a difficult situation. The idea here is to just bring a smile to their faces, make them feel like they're stars, and in the process give them hope. Check out this YouTube video that shows what that sort of event looks like. If you have a camera (you don't have to be a pro) think about maybe volunteering some of your time. Check out the San Diego Group page for details about time and location.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS)
This organization administers a network of almost 7,000 volunteer photographers in the U.S. and other countries. Professional portraiture services are provided at no cost to parents grieving the loss of a child. If you are interested in volunteering your time and talent for this worthy cause join the NILMDTS network.

So visit the sites above and see if that's something you'd like to do; or find other ways to offer a helping hand. There's always someone in need who will truly appreciates your support. Have a great Thanksgiving.

NILMDTS photo shoot

2009-11-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Today I shadowed another photographer on a NILMDTS shoot. The tiny subject was a 3-week-old girl diagnosed with trisomy 13, which is a genetic disorder that affects 1 out of 10,000 newborns. In addition to displaying several of the many simptoms associated with this disease, like cleft lip or palate, and mental retardation, many of the babies affected by this disorder also suffer from congenital heart disease. And sadly, 80% of children with trisomy 13 die during the first month.

I was there as an observer, since this was the first case I was involved in, but also as an interpreter, being that the parents only spoke Spanish. The photographer did her job very professionally as I watched (she's already done several of these sessions), and everything proceeded so smoothly that I sometimes forgot what made this child so special. If you had walked in during the session you would have thought it was just another newborn portrait session, with the parents posing and holding their baby so proudly. But then, I would remember again that this child will be leaving this world soon. As I write this, and ponder about the whole thing, I can't help but think that by the time those proud parents receive their picture CD in the mail (about two weeks) that little girl will probably be gone.

The baby was fast asleep in her rocker, where the last pictures had been taken. "You look at my little girl and you don't really see anything wrong with her, but God knows why he does things", her dad said to me as we were getting ready to leave. What do you say to that?

My temp home studio

2009-11-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

I've always been more of a mobile kinda photographer. On weddings and other events obviously I'm going to be shooting on location, but with portrait photography you either shoot in a studio setting or at a location agreed with the client. For the latter my philosophy is that my mobile studio is comprised of whatever fits in the trunk of my car. And since I always like to be prepared I always carry at least one camera, lens and flash and some basic accessories in the trunk. A tripod, light stand, umbrella and collapsible reflector completes the portable lighting setup. You never know when the need to do a quick shoot will arise.

Still, I've always wanted to try out shooting in a studio just for the heck of it. Not that I will be spending a lot of time in a studio in the near future, but I always like to keep my options open. So a couple weeks ago I purchased a backdrop stand, visited a friend of mine who's in the textile business, and freeloaded on several types of cloth to use as backdrops. It's nice having friends, right?

This weekend I finally had some time to setup the stand, put some backdrops on it and start shooting. The cool thing about this type of photography is that you have control over pretty much everything. Background, lighting quality and direction, etc. On location there are some things you provide, like extra lighting. Some things are there that you may choose to use as part of your shoot, like a cool brick wall full of graffiti. And mother nature calls the shots on pretty much everything else, like how much time you have before that nice setting sun disappears.

So there's pros and cons for both studio and on location photography. But like I always tell other photographers, try out everything you can, at least once. You may be surprised. For years, I was more of an available light photographer, using flash only at parties and other events. But when I tried using off-camera flash with umbrellas and other light modifiers on location, trying to replicate the studio look out on the street, I was hooked.

So just for the fun of it, I will setup my temporary "studio" in my living room every so often, and post the results to my blog.

Above, a picture I took of my youngest kid. I wanted to give it a vintage look so I played around with some textures and colors that I added to the original image. Main lighting provided by Nikon SB800 through umbrella to camera left. Sun light through window at camera right used as fill.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

2009-10-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last month I was reading Vital Signs, the Professional Photographers Association newsletter, when I came upon an article prompting member photographers to volunteer some of their time for a foundation called “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS).” Up until that point I had no idea such an organization, or service, existed.

Before I proceed with this post, I should first pose this question. What would you do if you knew your soon to be born baby would not live more than a few hours or days? Or put another way, fast forward ten years after this unfortunate event. How would you remember the day your baby was born? The first time you held him. The few days he spent on this earth surrounded by all who loved him.

Difficult questions indeed. But you can probably put each person into one of two distinct groups, depending on what they answer. One group would be those who consider the experience too painful, and thus would want to move on and not ponder on the memory of the child lost. The second group would be composed of those who, having dealt with the pain, accept the loss, but cherish the short time they spent with their baby. They lovingly remember that their little girl had her father’s eyes and her mother’s hands.

But given the option, would you want to have professional-quality pictures taken of your baby the time she was with you? A valid argument would be that as you get older, and your memory starts to fade, pictures would be the only thing you would still have. A faithful representation of your baby’s dark hair, his tiny little feet and hands. Would that be something you would like to look at many years from now?

The way I see it, no matter how painful the loss, you can’t deny that your baby existed, even if it was for 24 hours. We like to keep pictures and other objects that remind us of our loved ones who have passed away. Does it really matter if they lived seventy-two years or seventy-two hours? They lived. We spent time with them.

So this is the option the NILMDTS foundation gives to parents who have been told that their baby will die shortly after birth. At an appropriate time, parents are made aware that this service is available, at no cost to them. If the parents decide they want the service a volunteer photographer in the area is notified. Parents and photographer meet to get to know each other, discuss tentative date of birth and other details, etc. This means that in most cases, depending on when the baby’s ailment is detected, coordination between photographer and parents will commence months before the baby is born. As the date gets nearer the photographer goes into standby mode, knowing that at any given moment he could get the call to rush to the hospital. Depending on the baby’s condition the photographer might only have a couple of hours to get to the hospital and complete the shoot. In some cases there is no alternative but to do the job shortly after the baby has passed away.

Being the parent of three healthy boys I have to admit that I’m very lucky. My wife did have a miscarriage before again getting pregnant and having our third child. It was early in the pregnancy, but it was still painful, so I can only imagine the pain of those parents who know months in advance that they will lose the child. Holding your baby knowing she will be with you for only a few days must be a terrible experience.

After reading that newsletter I thought I should give a little something back to those parents who are not as lucky as me and my wife. Still, I had doubts about how I would react upon putting myself into that sort of situation. Having to walk into a hospital room full of grieving people, looking at that baby who hasn’t got long to live, or has already passed away, and proceed to do my job in a professional manner.

After a couple days I just decided to let destiny run its course. Knowing that there is a process where each applicant is considered and either accepted or rejected based on various factors, I pretty much decided that if I’m meant to do that kind of volunteer work, it will happen, so I filled out the application.

Last Monday I got an e-mail from the NILMDTS foundation stating that after reviewing my application they had decided to accept me as an affiliate photographer. There’s still some formalities that I need to take care of before officially getting on their photographer directory, but I should be done in a couple days. They stated that to fully complete the induction process I need to either do my first shoot or accompany one of their affiliate photographers on a shoot as an observer within the next six weeks. That “ultimatum” made it sound very official, and it got me a little nervous at first. But after a while I decided that yes it’s going to be a challenge, but it’s something I need to do.

Above, a picture of our third child, little Arturo, when he was 4 weeks old. He is now a healthy two year old boy.

Have camera. Will work for free.

2009-10-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

What is the most common mistake new photographers make when starting their photography business? Working for free. Don't get me wrong. In order to gain experience and build up a portfolio there will be times when a new photographer will work without getting a dime in return. But the photographer has the power to decide who he gives his free work to.

Along the years friends and relatives of mine have benefited (and saved a fair amount of dough in the process) when I've photographed their weddings, their kids, parties and other events for free. But that's very different from shooting for a magazine or a business that plainly states that they want images, "can't pay now because they're just starting up, or don't have the budget, but may pay in the future."

That's a wonderful way to put it. Some photographers fall into the trap, produce images on a regular basis for such a company, but the promise to "maybe get paid in the future" never materializes. So the photographer in frustration dumps that "potential client" and goes somewhere else. The company then happily moves onto the next photographer who will work for free.

So in the end working for free is wrong, right? Right? Wrong? Well, let me answer that with this. You can work for free, and turn it into a win-win situation for everyone. Charity work. Non-profits. Giving back to the community.

Take the American Heart Association as an example. It is a well-known non-profit organization that for more than eighty years has been searching for ways to reduce death caused by cardiovascular disease. The AHA has various fund-raising events every year where they sorely need volunteers to help out in different capacities, photographers included.

Images are needed to document their events, to include in their marketing campaigns, and in general just so everyone can see what the organization is about. I had the privilege of meeting with representatives of the American Heart Association a couple months ago and we discussed their needs for 2010 events. They were holding interviews with several photographers, but luckily I was selected as one of small number of individuals who will be covering a couple of their fund-raising events next year.

Since then, I’ve been in regular contact with the AHA team, and recently covered one of their event kick-off parties. They’re great folks, and you can really tell they honestly appreciate the time and expertise you’re putting in. In return they give you various ways to advertise your business during their fund-raising events.

So in the end you get great publicity by helping out. I don’t think it gets any better than that.

I will be covering the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” event at the Hotel del Coronado on February 12, 2010. Check out their site if you would like to donate, help out or get more information.

Cabo Photography Workshop - Trash the dress (Take 2)

2009-10-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

After spending some time taking pictures around the pool we were finally given the green light to use the pool. Two models went into the water and we started shooting.

The ship was getting closer to San Diego, and it's cooler weather, so the water in the pool was very cold. Good thing we had a couple of very committed models. If it had been me, I would have passed.

Cabo Photography Workshop - Trash the dress

2009-10-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

We had a "Trash the dress" session the day before we arrived in San Diego. The idea was to be on deck at 7:30 AM so we could have the pool to ourselves and shoot to our heart's content. The model would put on the dress and get in the pool so we could start the shoot. When we got to the pool it was still covered, so we had to wait for a while. To pass the time we took pictures of the model, dress now on, at several locations near the pool. The model was a real champ. The ship was bobbing up and down really bad, but she still managed to maintain her composure.

The sky was very overcast, which made the pictures even more dramatic. I don't think they would have had the same impact if we'd had a nice sunny morning.

I ended up liking these images a lot more than the actual pool shots. The combination of flash-lit model and dark cloudy background just gives it a nice contrast, I think.

Cabo Photography Workshop - Andrew

2009-10-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Andrew is one of the dancers who volunteered to model for us during our photo shoots. He's currently based out of San Diego but originally from England.

I really wish I had more models like Andrew. You could tell he was at ease in front of the camera, took directions very well, looked very natural in whatever pose he was asked to assume, and just was a lot of fun to work with. Can't really say that about all models I've worked with.

Models, just like photographers, are human beings, with qualities and defects. Some area easy to get along with, others are not.

Lulu, my wife/assistant, helped out during this particular shoot by being in charge of the off-camera lighting. She was also amazed at how fluidly this shoot progressed, and how Andrew was always willing to do everything we asked, no matter how goofy or childish it was. The pictures I'm posting today are some of the more "serious" images.

Cabo Photography Workshop - Melissa & Vlad

2009-10-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

With the excuse of attending a photography workshop I recently went on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas. My wife (she doubled as my assistant on some of the shoots) and I had a great time. Five days of sun, pools, beaches, photography classes/shoots, and lots of food. It doesn't get any better than that.

I will be posting some of the pictures I took during the workshop. Many thanks to the dancers who volunteered their time to pose for us.

We see Melissa and Vlad in the image above. They're a married couple who happen to be dancers. And very good dancers I should add. My wife and I got to see them dancing at one of the shows the very last evening we were on the ship. Truly talented. Thanks guys.

Challenge Walk MS 2009

2009-09-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society had a fundraising event this past weekend (09/11 - 09/13).

Participants walked 50 miles, Friday through Sunday, from Carlsbad to downtown San Diego, in an effort to raise $1,200,000 and find a cure for MS.

I volunteered as a photographer to document the last 10 miles on Sunday. The day's walk began at Ventura Cove/West Mission Bay and ended at Pantoja Park in Downtown San Diego. I spent half a day, from 8:00 AM to 1:30PM, driving down the route, stopping at every rest station, and taking a bunch of pictures.

Although I drove between each rest stop, there were a couple times where I just couldn't find a parking spot close to the rest stations, specially in downtown SD, so there was some inevitable walking involved, and by the time the event finished my feet were pretty sore. It was until the next day that I discovered that I had a blister on my right foot. Jeez.

I can only imagine how the Challenge Walk participants felt after finishing those 50 miles that Sunday. Way to go guys and gals!

Sample Slideshow

2009-08-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

Sample Slideshow

Posted using ShareThis

Worldwide Photo Walk

2009-07-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

A very interesting event took place on Saturday July 18th. 32,000 photographers in 900 cities hit the streets, camera in hand, and took pictures of anything and everything. To learn more about this event go to http://worldwidephotowalk.com .

I went out with several other Tijuana photographers and took my share of pictures. The one above was not staged. I found the bottle just sitting there on the window ledge, snake image behind it. I looked at it and that common question came to mind, "What's your poison?"

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

2009-07-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I made a quick trip to Monterrey, Mexico to visit a very good friend who fell ill. Sadly, he passed away the day before my scheduled trip back to my hometown (Tijuana). In a way I'm really glad I was able to see him one last time, but saying goodbye forever is not something I can do easily, especially to someone I was very close to.

I lived in Monterrey for almost two years, made very good friends, got a new set of relatives ( I got married while living there) and absolutely fell in love with the city. Monterrey is a perfect blend of old and new. Old colonial architecture suddenly changes to the newest, trendiest shopping malls and business complexes.

I was there for about three days during this last trip, but I was only able to set aside about three hours one morning to walk around downtown Monterrey, carrying my camera, hunting for images.

The image above is of a home in downtown Monterrey. This is typical of the old colonial style where the front door is flush with the very narrow sidewalk. Not very practical by today's standards, but I love that type of architecture. Even with the extreme heat (Monterrey is terribly warm during summer) I enjoyed walking around taking pictures.

The Portraits

2009-07-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to meet and photograph The Portraits, during a presentation at Escondido Joe's. The Portraits (http://www.portraitstrio.com) are a classy Jazz trio composed of Joseph Abraham (Drums/Percussions), Jarel Paguio (Piano/Keyboard) and Jay Barnings (Double Bass).

They are very talented musicians and will add that classy touch to your next corporate event, party or wedding.

Looking forward to working with them again in the future.

Photo shoot with CovModels

2009-06-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I had the opportunity to meet up with a friend who co-manages CovModels (http://www.covmodelsonline.com), a model agency in Tijuana. They were having an event at a local pub, so my friend invited me to drop by, meet some of the girls, and do an impromptu photo session.

The ladies were a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed making some images with them. This company is very active, has a lot of big clients in Baja, but is also available for corporate functions, conventions, product demonstrations and other events in San Diego.

Sometimes I like to post a picture that is not really meant to be included in my portfolio, or to be used by the client, but that is funny in some way. The image above is one of the last pictures I took before we finished the photo session, so I just asked the girls to clown around, and took a couple shots. These one was my favorite.

Another shoot with Vera's Veil

2009-06-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

I was contacted by the manager of San Diego band Vera's Veil last week, asking me to schedule a photo shoot asap. After a last minute change they decided on the Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego as the place to do the photo shoot. Tuesday 06/02 in the evening.

Got together with them. Did the shoot. Hard work, but definitely worth it. Lots of good material to choose from.

Downtown San Diego shoot with Emily

2009-05-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Spent a couple hours shooting with Emily at several spots in downtown SD last night. Right when I was preparing my equipment what seemed like hundreds of cyclist started coming down Broadway about a block from Horton Plaza. Too bad I wasn't ready. That would have been a great backdrop for some long exposures.

Still, we ran across the street to the median and I took a few pictures of Emily while a friend of hers held the off-camera Speedlight. By then the last few cyclists were passing by. The pictures were ok, but they would have been a lot better if I'd had a little more time to setup and gotten more of the cyclists in the background. Also, hurrying to take some pictures my light stand tipped over, hit the floor and the umbrella bracket broke off. So the light stand was pretty useless for the remainder of the shoot.

Hats off to Emily's friend for holding the umbrella and Speedlight at the right height and angle for the rest of the evening. His arms must have been really sore by the end of the shoot. Thanks a million!

Above is one of my favorite images from that evening.

Testing testing

2009-05-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago I got a great price on a used Bronica ETRS medium format system on eBay. Yeah, it's a film camera. Purists of the digital age normally ask "why do you want to be using a film camera?" "You can get the same results with a digital camera."

Well, I got into photography back in the late 80s, so in my case it was Minolta cameras with Kodak B & W and Fuji color reversal films. Color reversal? Huh? Just a fancy name for slide film. Remember those carrousel projectors? Some young folks probably don't understand a word I'm saying.

Anyway, I use digital cameras for 90% of my work nowadays, but still shoot film just for fun every so often (35mm and medium format), and honestly, film has a different "feel."

The picture above is from the first roll I ran through the Bronica. I really liked it, not really because of the subject, but because of the nice contrast and extremelly shallow depth of field. It really has a different look than what you normally get with a DSLR, or a 35mm camera for that matter.

You be the judge.

Picture taken with a Bronica ETRS with 50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon MC lens on Tri-X 320.

Vera's Veil at 4th & B

2009-05-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Vera's Veil recently played at 4th & B in downtown San Diego. This is one of my favorite pictures from that evening.

Emily

2009-05-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to work with Emily, an aspiring young model. We got together at Balboa Park and spent a couple hours going from one location to another, trying out different things.

Some pretty interesting images came out of that shoot, and I'm looking forward to working with her again in the very near future. The plan: some grungy, gritty nighttime street shots.

Vera's Vail Photoshoot

2009-05-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Did a photo shoot with almost all the members of the San Diego band Vera's Vail (the drummer was out of town). We had a great time. When you do this type of shoot you pretty much get to the location with several ideas on what kind images you want to make, but frequently other unplanned photo opportunities pop up. You've got to be ready to capture the "decisive moment."

Favorite moment during this shoot? Doing some portraits of guitarist Ryan Vernazza, when all of a sudden a very fast, and very loud, train rushes by him. I don't think there was more than two feet between him and the train. Since it was a very long train it took probably a couple minutes to go by. I just kept shooting. Ryan, being a champ, kept standing at his spot the whole time. Well, eventually he did jump to the other side, out of the picture frame, but I'm pretty sure he earned the respect of everyone else watching the scene unfold.

In the picture above, he still has that "what the..." expression.

Vera's Vail at Kashtan European Bistro

2009-04-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

I got together with a couple band members from Vera's Veil and their manager last Friday at Kashtan European Bistro. We did an informal shoot while they played some of their songs and some covers.

Their music is really good. Check them out at MySpace.

Zebra picture named "Image of the Week."

2009-04-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

The "Zebra" image you see below on one of my earlier posts was named "Image of the Week" at the "Black and White Photography Forum."

Several photos from the "Zebra" series have been some of my most popular ones. They've been on display at several San Diego venues, online Art galleries and have gotten a lot hits on my Flickr gallery.

Check it out online at http://www.bwphotographyforum.com or drop by The Marquee to see it "in person."

Flickr Tour to Ensenada

2009-03-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday me and my wife joined the "Flickr Tour La Baja" folks for a one day trip down to Ensenada. This is a group of guys and gals who are very interested in photography, and who get together more or less regularly, meet at a predetermined town or area (mostly San Diego/Tijuana), and shoot it up (in the good sense of the word).

These tours are a lot of fun, but are definitely not for those who like to hop into the car and drive to the store around the corner. Aside from having some skill behind the camera, one needs to have enough stamina to walk non-stop for at least seven hours (ok, minus one hour for lunch). But time sure flies when you're having fun. You get to find a lot of interesting photo opportunities, and see how other people work behind the camera.

When you've got a small crowd of say, ten photographers, walking more or less together all over town, you kind of get the idea that the result will be ten copies of the same object. Well, it sometimes happens, to a certain degree. But the benefit here is that in the end you see a lot of variations of one single subject, be that different angles, exposure, depth of field, or postproduction work.

Most photographers are loners, so joining one of theses groups every so often is a refreshing experience. Hell, if nothing else, you get to talk about the latest lens you purchased without getting those blank stares.

I took the picture above while walking along Ensenada's black market. Despite the negative conotation the name gives it, this place is harmless. It's a long alley near the harbor, lined with fish stores, little stands selling all kinds of odds and ends, and the little restaurants that serve the fish tacos Ensenada is famous for. Rubio's just doesn't compare. Oh, and I don't own that chain.

Anyway, this little girl was sitting on a bench with her family. From her expression she's either extremely bored or extremely tired from walking allong the harbor. Either way she looked really cute.

Exhibit at The Marquee

2009-03-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

Several of my pieces (including the one above from my "Zebra" series) are on display at this new art venue near downtown San Diego. The name of the place is The Marquee. It's an old church that has been turned into this hip, eclectic place, with lounge seats where the pews used to be, art lining the walls and a huge screen in the front where they show movies on certain evenings, and have rap artists and other musicians doing their stuff other nights. Pretty interesting place.

The Marque
835 25th street
San Diego, CA

2009-03-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday (March 7th) I attended the 2009 Ocean Beach Kite Festival at, you guessed it, Ocean Beach. It was a first for me. I was expecting more creativity from the kite-making participants, but there were only a couple very unique kites. Still, it was a fun way to spend a sunny Saturday morning. Lots of color and photo opportunities.

Init

2007-10-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hello World