Gear

I know I been slacking on my goad of daily post but I been busy(& lazy).
I was able to buy the MD-80 Grip for my camera, along with a new battery, some Tiffen filters and the wireless remote.

I'm happy I'm building my camera gear bag, now I need the 'camera bag,' haha.
NOW it's time to get shooting, I was gonna assist Ernie Olivares in a photoshoot last weekend, but we had to reschedule due to technical difficulties with the prop(Ernie's 1968 Fastback Mustang)

I still want to add a few more items to my camera bag, like a new lens.

LIST:

• Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
• Camera Bag (lowepro or tamrac)
• Camera Strap (Crumpler or Rapid Black)
• Flash (SB600 or SB900)
• Sigma 30mm or Sigma 105mm-Macro
  

Dragging....

I almost feel I'm gonna be posting a post every Wednesday saying how much I'm dragging my feet and how I can't wait until the weekend. Bare with me though, I have just reasons to gripe:

1. Lack of Sleep- since Sunday night I been having trouble sleeping
2. Waiting on UPS & USPS - I order my battery grip and extra accessories.
   

So the last few days I feel I been needing extra cups of coffee just to feel normal, which is not good. I like coffee but not in excess. I hope things return back to normal.

Adrik

Thank goodness Friday is just around the corner. I'm not sure what the weekend has in hold for me but I hope it includes shooting with my D90, watching "CHE"(new movie by Steven Soderberg), and a couple of beers.

Final pic of Adrik from Sunday's shoot :

Adrik always has a smirk or smile on his face but it was hard keeping track of him.
His energy wouldn't be denied but I'm glad I was able to take some shots in focus. I'm still getting the hang of the D90/Nikon's AF system.

Depending how much, or should I say how little my paycheck is tomorrow I hope to order the MD-80 battery grip and more memory cards. I guess the Tamron 17-50mm is going to have to wait. LOL :P

Long Week

Its Wednesday, hump-day, its 2:38pm and this day can't end soon enough. I was wishing and dreaming of Friday since Monday.(sigh)


Wells since Im here, lets make the best of it.
I took this pic on Sunday just around dusk when I was done shooting pics of the kids.(clients) HaHa.

The duck wasn't cooperating as well as I wanted but I try to be as patient as possible.
After the fact I realized a few things I could have done differently. I should have pushed the ISO to 1600 instead of 1000, the D90 can handle it. After the ISO adjustment, I should have closed up the aperture to f/5.6-8 instead of f/1.8.

I think those two adjustments would have given me a much better and more foucused picture. I'm still satisfy with the end result of this one, especially the rich blues.

I hope you enjoyed the image, this few minutes I escape work make my day much better. Please visit my Flickr page for new images. Hopefully tonight I finish editing the batch of pics from Sunday. Cheers.

Logan

My weekend seems to go by so fast, but I'm glad I was able to put the beer down and go out and take some pictures. I took Pictures of two toddlers(Logan & Adrik), yea, hectic.

This is the collage I did for Logan:

Please check out my Flickr page in the next few days, I hope to upload more of the pics.

Photography/Art Mentors

I was scrolling through Nikon D90 Club Flickr Group today and there was a discussion thread about photographers and how their images and their photographic ideology has inspired you.

I immediately thought of grand photographers that I have read in books and who's images I've seen in books/online and the few images I have been lucky to see in museums like The Getty and MOPA.

Names like:

• Robert Capa
• James Nachtwey
• Ansel Adams
• Luc Delahaye

Soon after I thought of the meaning of inspiration, and I thought of the two mentors of photography that have truly inspired me. I've had two school photography teachers that have influenced me and encourage my photography ambitions.

My first taste of photography came my sophomore year in high school when I took a photography class as an elective, and my teacher was Bruce Farnsworth. "Mr. Farnsworth" was a first year teacher at Santa Ana High School that year and he was head under water when it came dealing with a room full of high school students, but he sure is a great photographer. I still remember his enthusiasm and devotion of photography and how most of us(know-it-all 16yrs old) thought it was lame. He tried his hardest to plant his joy of photography in our minds and he toiled all year long in hope that it would flourish in all his students. Even though I was already a fan of photography, his hard work triumphed. I took his photo class my Junior and Senior year.

Sadly after High School, I slowly but surely abandoned photography all together. I call those the dark years, I even pawned my Canon Rebel 35mm camera. I probably shot only 1 roll of film from 2003 through early 2007.
In 2007, I decided to pick up photography again, I bought a Nikon Coolpix P500 digital camera and a Nikon FM10 35mm film camera. I also enrolled in a 'Photo Intro Class' at Santa Ana College.

My professor was jokingly the self-proclaimed "The Great Phil Marquez" Phil really helped me get out my shell again, photography wise. His great humor and easy going attitude really elevates your mood especially when trying to dust off the cobwebs in the darkroom. He open up the world of photography to me technically and creatively. Introducing and opening doors to a side of photographhy/art that I have never seen before. His attitude towards his art/photography students really help create the sense of equals/colleagues instead of teacher/students which has been probably the greatest lesson I've learned.

I guess now, when I'm asked, "What photographers have inspired you?" -I'll happily and casually say, "Mr. Farnsworth & the Great Phil Marquez."


:)

Good Morning

Godd Morning All,
I have to decided to do a goal list for the New Year, I know its Jan 7 and I'm already starting off on a bad foot by doing this a week late, but I was busy. I had a crazy and fun New Year's Party and right after that me and some friends took off and went camping to Joshua Tree. If you have never been, I suggest that everyone go at least once in their life time.

Its time for business, this are goals, not resolutions.

• Run/Jog for 20-30mins 4 times out of a week.
• Take more Pictures. Period. (simple)
• Try to keep up my Blog.(daily)
• Go camping at least 3 more times this year.
• Push myself as a Photographer. Both creatively and technically. Increase my communication level with my subjects.(models & people)

I think they are all reasonable goals. I started yesterday by doing 20mins yesterday on elliptical machine. woot woot.

A pic from Joshua Tree:

There was a total of 12 that went to Joshua Tree, we camp at Cottonwood campgrounds located on south entrance of the park off Highway 10, about 2.5hr drive from Orange County. Well worth the drive.

The weather was not too bad, chilly nights and cool and breezy days with the sun above you.

Next time I go, I want to stay at north entrance of the park at higher elevation like Jumbo Rocks campground.

Please visit my Flickr to see more from Joshua Tree and other recent Pics.

Its been months since I have posted a new blog, I guess I just felt there was very little going on with my life including my photography :(

2009, and many new things have happen that I finally feel things could be progressing for me.

I bought my Nikon D90, and I finally have my first DSLR. I hope to be posting more and more of my photography since I hope to be taking a lot more photographs ;)

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year :)

hoooooray for 2009