August 2010
2 posts
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Just an Update
Since converting the site onto a full-fledge photoblog, I’ve received some emails asking about what will be with all the content that had been published prior to the new launch. I don’t have any intentions on bringing it down. In fact, I’ll just let it stand for what it is and let it float randomly around the web.
My new commitment in terms of online presence will be...
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Now a Photoblog →
For reasons that are still beyond me, if you’ve been subscribing to this blog, I want to thank you in advance for the continued support in being a repeated visitor. Every week I’m surprised by the amount of audience that actually exist and that you can accumulate when you write about something you love.
Since using Tumblr for the past 3 years, a large portion of my content has revolved around...
July 2010
14 posts
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One Year, One Family →
Tom Peters once wrote that ” If you’re not spending at least 70% of your time working on projects, creating projects, or organizing your tasks into projects, you are sadly living in the past. Today you have to think, breathe, act, and work in projects.”
A huge portion of the people I follow and admire on Twitter has been a result of me stumbling upon something they’ve...
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My Cooking Diary →
I’ve learned from watching Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmare that unless done professionally or at least tastefully, photographs of dishes on a menu should always have the effect of making those courses incredibly appetizing to eat and not horrified by how it looks.
I think it takes an art to be able to photograph food that comes across like this but Mike Matas has nailed it with the...
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Creating iPad Albums With Lightroom →
I use Lightroom to exclusively managed all of my photographs and the only reason to ever launch iPhoto is to import albums that I sync onto the iPad or iPhone. It’s a process I’m not too fond in replicating and one that I now do less of thanks to a neat preset by Matt Kloskowski.
Carry with you any album on your iPad by exporting it directly from Lightroom. It’s a huge...
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A Change in Delivery
Since launching iPad Decór back in April, the encouraging feedback I’ve received from actively sharing perfectly cropped 1024 x 1024 photographs of my travels to prettify iPads has been very comforting to say the least.
Quite honestly it’s become one of my favorite side projects to curate because unlike Jorgeq.com, the focus of iPad Decór has rested soley on sharing personal...
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“A camera, like a guitar, is just a box with a hole in it. Until it is placed in...”
– Focus On Your Passion Webinar by Tim Mantoani
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Charging to Submit
I don’t enter photography contest as much as I’m suggested to but I’ve changed that about me because it’s really a great assessment in seeing how your photographs stack up against others as well gaining the exposure that comes with winning one. Some are free while others require a fee but I confess it’s the latter that I veer to the most.
What’s wrong with...
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Presetpond: Sharing Lightroom & Aperture Presets →
A neat community for sharing, discovering and downloading presets for 2 of the most popular photo editing software Aperture and Lightroom. Signing up is free and so is downloading any of the many presets that aim to spruce up your photographs. Bookmarked.
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Photographer Spotlight: Samantha Tran
Samantha Tran is a 26 years old photograper based in Texas where she lives with her husband. The notion that to be a photographer you needed a degree has long been erased from her mind as she’s taken advantage of online tutorials, blogs, books and inspiration from Flickr to come to the realization that all you need is the desire and passion to become one. Her dream job would involve...
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It's Those Select Few
I’m always been mindful that if I were to devote myself to writing strictly photography based content, I would perhaps reach a much wider audience but my intention with this blog has never been to try to replicate better material than what’s already out there.
I like to focus more on the personal experiences through my writing and having the ability to weave my photographs into any...
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You are a photographer when.... →
I’m a member of the Nikon D90 Group on Flickr and a post was published where subcribers were asked to respond to the statement that “you are a photographer when…”
There’s 2 pages worth of responses so far and I selected my favorite 10 in no particular order. What makes these special and comical is that some very easily apply to me.
People expect you to take...
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Some Summer Changes
Had I waited 3 more months, a complete year of fighting the urge to redesign would have been fulfilled but apparently I failed to hold off that long.
With lack of time being the foremost reason for not redesigning, the decision was made to stay away from any changes so that I can keep one single look for the site as long as possible and maintain a sense of personal brand. This same principle...
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Sharing Your Art
In case you’ve never read any of Seth Godin’s books, I dare you to choose any and get back to me in a week to see if any of his statments has modified your perspective on life in any way. If it does, then it means his work as an writer has translated flawlessly and for me, that same influence in this particular paragraph has opened up the chance to do something nice with my photography...
June 2010
18 posts
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“I wish somebody had told me that I would spend 95% of my time doing office tasks...”
– Andy Biggs on Things Photographers Wished They Learned in Photo School. I hear this a lot from fellow photographer friends.
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iPhone 4 Captures
I doubt that anyone with the smallest amount of interest in photography would argue that it’s not the camera that creates the image but rather the photographer. But what these gadgets do provide is the flexibility to take photos that mean something to you and even more so if it comes from a device that serves so many other purposes.
Since the first iPhone, one of the biggest reason for not...
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3 Days Without an iPhone
It suddenly stopped working. The screen persisted in being off and unresponsive and no trouble shooting tactic seem to revive what now was my dead iPhone. If you ask me, I think the combination of too much jailbreaking and just the life of the battery all contributed to its death.
What’s interesting is that making phone calls was second to everything else I accomplished with the device yet...
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Manifesto →
Some powerful words from Maureen Johnson in how the internet is turning into one giant commercial -
The internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people—talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid.
Do it because...
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“I’ve always joked with aspiring photographers that photography is a career...”
– Joshua Wolfe on Notes for Aspiring Photographers. Absolutely true but I also think these conditions are dependent upon which area of photography you specialize in.
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“I will only follow people that I care enough about to not miss anything they...”
– Follow people, purposefully and personally. The less people you follow, the more personal the experience and the higher the likelihood that you’ll be paying attention. Do the opposite and you’ll drive yourself crazy playing catchup.
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WatchKevin Meredith’s book Hot Shots is one of those worthwhile publications that’s often kept in my backpack when I’m out shooting not just due to its compact size but because it’s very competent in giving you alternatives to common shots and it kick-starts your creativity. By far, one of my favorites and now I’ll have to add yet another one to my collection.
His new...
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25 Safari Extensions You Can Install Now →
Lately I’ve grown really intrigued by the support for Extensions in Safari 5. I’ve always bought into the concept of trying to accomplish as much within your browser and while this functionality has already existed in Firefox or Chrome, I never cared for any of their implementation simply because I’ve always been a Safari person.
But now I feel like I’ve been able to take...
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TightWind in Print, 2009: Kindle Edition →
By no means do I consider myself a decent writer in comparison to the blogs I follow but I’ve developed a huge esteem for the people who write them and I believe in supporting their craft to enjoy more of it, especially if it involves using a device for it.
Kyle Baxter has taken all his best articles from 2009, assembled them into a book, and published it on the Kindle store. Talk about...
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Tapbots: The iDesign Interview →
There are thousands of applications in the App Store. Chances are if you have an idea for an application there’s already something for it available. So to stand out you have to do something different, you can focus on having the most features, the lowest price, the best marketing, hell, sometimes you can just be the luckiest.
Our way to stand out is to try to make applications that have a...
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Networking with Moo
Working in a retail setting, more times than expected, I come across customers with the same deep interest in photography as I have and simple questions about a product are often forgotten and replaced with us asking each other “what style of photography do you practice” or “do you have a website”?
I enjoy nothing more than networking in person, so to remedy the...
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Dodocase + iPad vs Moleskine →
We admire Apple products so much that we devote extra effort in finding the perfect accessories to compliment and highlight their gadgets and when it comes to the iPad, there’s no shortage of cases or sleeves to choose from. It really comes down to how any of them will identify to how you plan to use the device.
I personally love Moleskine journals. Whether I put them all to use is another...
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Camera+, The Ultimate iPhone Photo App →
Lisa Bettany & TapTap have been working over a year on what has turned out to be the most fantastic photography application ever released and quite fitting that it’s been done right before the iPhone 4 is announced. Web copy says it all:
Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or someone who’s barely touched a camera, Camera+ will make you love taking photos with your iPhone.
I agree...
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Antitrust ★ ★ ★ ★
As a techie, one my favorite geek movies is Antitrust starring Ryan Phillippe. It’s a film that presents a rather credible technology-oriented story line that can be enjoyed by the general public but even more so by those who have a more direct connection to the software/computer industry.
I have absolutely no programming knowledge but a great selling point for me was seeing how the...
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“Make beautiful art out of the horrors you see and produce work that people will...”
– Advice from Zoriah Miller for those seeking to follow the path of photojournalism. This has been a style of photography I’ve become captivated with lately. I love shooting candids and I see the artistic quality and significance that comes with capturing people attempting to live life the way...
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The Adamant Guide
For me, going on an organized all inclusive resort is not traveling. At best, it’s all a relaxation, food and alcoholic consumption adventure that characterizes what it’s like being on a cruise ship, unless you choose to participate in other more life changing experiences.
Travel is more than just going to a destination. If that were the case, can you imagine running errands as as a...
May 2010
15 posts
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“The best part of not having a job is that you don’t have to conform to other...”
– Everett Bogue, the author of The Art of Being Minimalist talks about 27 Reasons Why You Should Never Have a Job. Suggestions that are not necessarily applicable to everyone but fantastic for those that have a business that allows them to live them first hand which is almost a lot of people that I...
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Getting Your Photography Content
I read a lot about photography and I found out that the further I extend my knowledge, the more I step outside of the box and away from my comfort zone. What’s important though is that the actual reading never surpasses the amount of time spent on shooting which is essential so as to put in practice what you’re learning.
It’s also fair to say that I write about photography a...
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“We know screwups are an essential part of making something good. That’s...”
– Wired magazine article in how Pixar Animates a Blockbuster. A film like Up showcases why Pixar has the reputation they do for producing gorgeous pieces of work and what’s frighting is that as beautiful as any of their films are, they continue to build on their abilities with every new movie...
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I Suggest You Read A Book →
I currently subscribe to 83 feeds most of which are blogs and I’ve become adept at reading them daily but I also always occupy myself with books or magazines because clearly they will serve as a funnel to breed great ideas that you can later write about.
Brian Clark of Copyblogger has some invaluable information on the value of not just relying on blogs as a source of inspiration for your...
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“To my mind the exhibition says more about the process of taking photographs than...”
– Paul Sullivan on the 3-year-old girl who had her first photography exhibition in San Francisco and who has received some criticism because her images aren’t that creatively astounding or worthy of an exhibition in any ‘professional’ sense.
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WatchAt this point I have the whole embarkation and debarkation process of cruising down to a science. In celebration of our 1-year marriage anniversary, we’ve booked a 7-day Caribbean vacation with the whole family between May 16th - 23rd which sets sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico. We’re flying down a day early to explore the town even more.
There is an old out-dated saying “If you go on...
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“Social media cannot make anyone rich. You need to have substance, something of...”
– Pat Dryburgh on How Social Media Can Make You Rich. Perfectly said. It’s that same substance and value that one can potentially offer that makes you follow them on Twitter and subscribe to their content.
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Geographically Meaningful Photos
It took Mike Matas’ stunning website with Google Map integration to ultimately convince me to purchase new gear for the D90 which I had initial reservations on picking up because I was unsure of how much use it would get when traveling was nowhere in sight.
I’m a huge metadata freak. I’m very meticulous in applying tags, description and appropriate titles to each photo in...
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How to Define Yourself as a Photographer →
One of the questions I always look forward to in the Photographer Spotlight Series is the first one where it ask of the photographer to define their style. Simple question yet difficult to answer and one that I often struggle to respond to when asked to define my work.
Any 2 photographers can shoot the same subject but it’s the one that’s going to initially hesitate and first ask...
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“I personally like the ebb and flow of visitors to this blog. I don’t feel...”
– Rachel Cunliffe on It’s Ok Not To Be Popular. The frequency of content published on this site follows this line of thought.
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Iron Man 2 ★ ★ ★ ★
I think the reason sequels are sometimes difficult to pull off is because of the battles they must go against. There’s the necessity of finding the best story to tell, the necessity to retain ingredients that worked in the first film while surprising us with new material and more importantly the necessity to meet the audience’s expectations.
I’m the least well-versed person...
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MagCloud + Flickr = Your Own Magazine →
MagCloud is a project that Derek Powazek worked on with HP Labs and the basic idea behind it is to enable anyone to start a real printed magazine.
Beautiful glossy screens like that of the iPad are gorgeous to admire images in but there’s still something about the pleasure of sifting through glossy pages of a magazine that exudes some intimacy with the reader.
Fully printed MagCloud...
April 2010
19 posts
3 tags
Experimenting Macro
Lately I’ve been spending time getting close to subjects with the macro lens on the G11 which in return, has led me to explore our backyard a lot more. I’ve completed a fair share of scenic shots in my block that the need to create other photographic opportunities felt necessary.
Shooting macro has been creatively exciting because of the refreshing perspective you gain in...