Hello

It's a new year, and a lot has happened already that I'm very thankful for. Since this is a photography blog and I haven't had much time to edit images, my poor site has been untouched. But there are many photos to take and many more to post, so stay tuned. :)

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Before, After

Edgar: 2 years old + 27 years old

Ever since I found out about Manu Chao, I've been listing to a lot of Seu Jorge, Buena Vista Social Club and old-school Shakira. This statement really has nothing to do with the picture, except that I'm listening to "Tive Razão" right now and that the shoes belong to my favorite Salvadorian.

Happy Fourth!

 

What's the best kind of ship?

A friendship.

(Yes, I actually made him bring a toy ship when he came to visit me. Yes, I know what you're thinking. :D)

Today would have been our four-year anniversary. It's a different kind of celebration now, a happy realization that we're still close and supportive of each other without the toxic dependency. Even with these damn photos, Edgar was ever vigilant, trying to teach me for the 143th time how lighting works and how to balance out shadows. These very important concepts don't seem to stay in my brain for too long. High ISO + a slow shutter speed = temperamental Julie.

These were taken in a very, very dark room with light green walls, a small floor lamp and two 60-watt bulbs in those Home Depot clamp contraptions. See the first picture with the gray walls? Yeah, the room looks nothing like that. =D In the second picture, his side wasn't as lit as my side, which resulted in the green/yellow wall effect. I'm a sucker for gradiance, so hooray to this happy mistake. It still amazes me how pictures taken in the same setting can come out so different-looking.

The originals. Check out those puke green walls. 

P.S. While I was writing this, I found out that Heavy D died today. :( 

Living in a WKW World

Rain always reminds me of my favorite auteur.

Salvation Mountain Continued

  

 

Here are the last batch of desert photos. I left most of them in their natural state. No Photoshop action this time besides upping the contrast and adding some vignette, which I'm using a lot more now.

Besides the yellow "brick" road you could walk up to to get to the top of the mountain, Leonard also constructed an inside portion so you could walk around. He used extra-large tires and clay to form the structure, adding telephone pole "trees" that all made you feel like Alice in Wonderland. While I had a hard time because of the harsh lighting outside, I struggled with the overly yellow look inside; the light was bouncing off of all the yellow paint. I think the fourth picture of Edgar and the one below him of the cat are too warm-toned, but the one he took of me petting the cat came out nicely exposed. Photography can drive me up the walls because of my perfectionist side, but it's also teaching me how to work with what I have. Adaptability is key.

Speaking of adaptability, Abel showed me a neat little tool I could use to view my screen in bright light. One please.

Salvation Mountain

Edgar took this one, yay!

Ever since I saw Aaron Huey's pictures of Salvation Mountain, I knew I had to go see it for myself. In no way am I a religious person, but Leonard Knight's simple message that "God is love" resonated with me. You can talk to me about faith or church or heaven until your face turns blue, but it's always the quiet and the humble that bring me closer to spirituality. Besides, where else can you find a man-made mountain covered in 220,000 gallons of paint? 

I borrowed an ultra-wide lens (the Tokina 11-16mm) from a local photo rental place I've never been to before. I didn't get to use it a lot, though. It was my first wide angle lens, and for whatever reason, I could only use it on manual focus, which became increasingly difficult because of the desert sun blinding me. I was getting really frustrated that the shots weren't coming out well, but then I remembered that photography is just a hobby and that I'm still learning. So I tried to make the best of the experience, especially since I couldn't review my shots. I eventually stopped with the 11-16mm and used my trusty 18-200mm. I also tried a PS vintage action I downloaded from deviantArt a long time ago to edit these photos.

To be continued.