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As expected, within hours of the World Cup opening ceremonies, The Big Picture was swift in publishing some remarkable images as they always do when reporting major events. I particularly love this photograph of a South African boy playing soccer in an open field as the sun sets and that show the complete enthusiasm that the people have for the sport 24/7.
Admittedly, soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with 175 countries considering “football” to be their national pastime but unfortunately the sport has a long uphill battle for popularity in the US.
Favorable results from the US Soccer team in the World Cup I think could help raise more interest but it would help even more if a major powerhouse media partner like ESPN would actually transmit some tournament games.
The occasional soccer matches I do watch are broadcasted on Univision or Telemundo but for complete game coverage, you have to pay extra via your cable provider.
Changing the Mindset
Maybe Americans will never truly embrace soccer because it is a low scoring game as oppose to basketball, hockey or football. The US is a nation of flash and dash and to some friends, soccer comes across as extremely slow.
How can players run around for 90 mintues kicking a ball and still have no one win they ask. I think it’ll be impossible to fully appreciate the sport until your mindset changes from “when will they score” to “these guys can score at any moment”. It’s the suspense of it all that makes for compelling matches. The goal scoring to me is a bonus.
I hope that soccer becomes more popular in the United States. Having famous clubs such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona or AC Milan, Chelsea play matches in the US certainly helps grow the popularity of soccer and of course these clubs will benefit from gaining new fans in the US.
I grew up playing soccer and so I’m as equally excited if not more about this major event than I am about the Olympics.
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From the Balcony- Land based vacations are enjoyable, but you don’t have the opportunity to wake up in your hotel room at a different island each day. You don’t have the option of frolicking on a new beach, or learning a different culture.
On a cruise, every day brings new experiences including the possibility of being out in the open sea to catch the perfect sunset before going out to dine in the same place you’re living for at least a week. (Photograph by Jorge Quinteros)
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All across Barbados you will find this mischievous little creature including in people’s gardens. It’s called a Green Monkey and this particular one, a vendor had it tied near his shack and was asking for a donation if you chose to photograph it.
Having a telephoto lens to capture the photo was pivotal because the monkey jumped insanely when you tiptoed too close although feeding him was a sure way to keep him in place.
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I’m back to my jailbreaking habits but this time with the iPad and once again for the sole purpose of circumventing the App Store a bit to install popular apps and games for free before committing to buying them.
iPad apps are higher in price and I have no qualms in paying $4.99 or $9.99 for one especially if it undergoes tremendous use but I want to guarantee the loyalty in using it will exist based on how much I like the app and not on how I guilt I may feel for paying for something I don’t use.
First one up has been Glasshouse’s The Early Edition. Perhaps I’m being too simplistic in saying that I love it. I absolutely enjoy the experience of having all my favorite news sources presented so attractively and in that familiar-looking newspaper format we’re all accustom to.
I don’t see the app completely replacing the relationship I’ve established with NetNewsWire on all platforms to manage my feeds but the exposure to something different has certainly been noted and so has the charm in seeing how articles from Shawn Blanc looks like on the front page upon launching the app.
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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 presenting your subject differently. It forces you to think about details and completely obliterates the typical notion of wanting to photograph everything you see when having a camera in hand.
It’s the things that are not so obvious that make for a compelling picture. Half the stuff I’ve photographed in the backyard have left my wife inspecting it again to verify it really came from there.
The whole experience has been an eye opener. You can’t help not think more about the color of subjects, their texture and most importantly the lighting in which they’re found and conversely not being afraid to alter some elements to composite something more interesting since you’re more likely to notice more of everything.
Having a tripod is the ideal solution to achieve the desired focus but the biggest complication for me was trying to capture a sharp enough photo because of the breeze.
For a pin-sharp image the camera has to be perfectly still with the shutter button being pressed remotely via a wireless trigger in many cases but I worked with what I had shooting away handheld and I’ve been pleased with the results so far.
I initially had in mind investing on the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 lens for the D90 but the price was enough for me to consider an alternative for the moment.
