A photo from camping in Cajon del Maipo outside of Santiago, Chile
Showing posts with label landscape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label landscape. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Yosemite Mirrored Lake Series
A few years ago I had a couple days to camp in Yosemite National Park and spend my time shooting as many photos as possible. I was struck with the challenge of trying to photograph Yosemite in a way that was original. The park is insanely beautiful but shooting it from a new perspective can be a bit of a challenge as thousands of photographers flock there every year.
I was wandering around and stumbled upon a small lake at the base of near vertical cliffs. I immediately was drawn to the reflections created by the lake and decided to use them as the basis for some images.
A couple minor adjustments in photoshop (all basic editing techniques) turned some moderately interesting images into something a bit stronger and more engaging (in my eyes, at least).
I was wandering around and stumbled upon a small lake at the base of near vertical cliffs. I immediately was drawn to the reflections created by the lake and decided to use them as the basis for some images.
A couple minor adjustments in photoshop (all basic editing techniques) turned some moderately interesting images into something a bit stronger and more engaging (in my eyes, at least).
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Peruvian Man
A random photo taken in 2010 in Peru. We were somewhere between Lima and Cusco. The bus had stopped on the side of the road beside a cluster of small homes around a farm. It wasn't exactly a town or a village as it was far too small. We were given a brief glimpse of simple life in the Peruvian countryside and when the moment arose I snapped a few photos of this local looking off into the hills.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
At La Parva
On the mountain at La Parva, just an 1.5 hours outside of Santiago. My friend Felipe and I were stopped by the side of the lift waiting for Clemente, a local Chilean skier, to come up on the chair lift to do some crazy flips. There was surreal atmosphere from the deep blue skies and a constant wind that blew snow around just about the ground.
Monday, August 27, 2012
View from La Parva
This last weekend was super productive and a lot of fun. I had the opportunity to shoot some talented skiers up at La Parva. It was a beautiful day with awesome conditions. Below is a photo of the view of the town and looking down the Andes towards Santiago. I got some shots I'm really excited about, but I'll only be able to post some of the outtakes as the best ones will hopefully be ending up in a Chilean ski/snowboard magazine. But we'll see!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Lows of Finding Photography Work in Chile
Being in a new country with no work connections, I have been forced to get creative and look far and wide for potential opportunities. The results from my online efforts have so far been less than satisfying, but I have learned a few things.
One being that using job posting sites to find photography opportunities in Chile is basically useless. There are few listings and the ones that do come up are basically rapists who have minimal value for the products they are attempting to sell. Nearly all of them specifically look for students and beginning photographers who "have a dSLR, but no experience necessary!" so that they can pay little to nothing because they know that most of these photographers are desperate or don't know any better.
Moments ago I just read one that stood out more than most. The employer was looking for students with professional cameras and professional studio lights to photograph kitchen products with the quality being "identical or better to those on Sur la Table's website." This employer very bluntly states that they expect quality that is equal or better to those who produce some of the highest quality product shots in the industry. But they intend on paying little to nothing for it. Certainly nowhere near the $1,000+ day rates that the photographer who shot the Sur la Table products got. But, the quality should still be better, obviously.
Other ads here follow a similar pattern with the majority of them being extremely vague. "Big company needs photographer for 600+ photos. Email us your rates. Beginning photographers with highest quality equipment encouraged." How are we supposed to send rates if we don't know what we are shooting, where the photos will be used or any other details? I do contact these listings and inquire about the details of the shoot, but I never receive a reply. Most likely because somebody else proposed something so insanely low they couldn't pass it up and apparently if you have a great dSLR that automatically means you can take great photos.
Now, I know the photography industry in Chile just recently beginning to develop and it's not yet widely accepted as something that deserves decent pay rates. I try to understand this as a cultural difference but sometimes it can be a little frustrating. Just like anybody looking for a job anywhere knows. I am also aware this isn't NY and I can't expect similar rates, but when companies set out with the lowest standards possible I don't even stand a chance. Not because I'm that good, just because I have self respect and know the work I produce has value. What all of these ads tell me is that there are a lot of companies out there that either don't understand what good photography is and can do for the product they just put so much capital into, or they just have no value for their product. But then again, the best opportunities aren't found in ads online anyway. All this means is that a whole lot more effort needs to be put in to find clients who do value a photographers abilities.
There aren't too many interesting photos I can post relating to job searching, so as a breath of fresh air I will post a couple beach photos instead.
One being that using job posting sites to find photography opportunities in Chile is basically useless. There are few listings and the ones that do come up are basically rapists who have minimal value for the products they are attempting to sell. Nearly all of them specifically look for students and beginning photographers who "have a dSLR, but no experience necessary!" so that they can pay little to nothing because they know that most of these photographers are desperate or don't know any better.
Moments ago I just read one that stood out more than most. The employer was looking for students with professional cameras and professional studio lights to photograph kitchen products with the quality being "identical or better to those on Sur la Table's website." This employer very bluntly states that they expect quality that is equal or better to those who produce some of the highest quality product shots in the industry. But they intend on paying little to nothing for it. Certainly nowhere near the $1,000+ day rates that the photographer who shot the Sur la Table products got. But, the quality should still be better, obviously.
Other ads here follow a similar pattern with the majority of them being extremely vague. "Big company needs photographer for 600+ photos. Email us your rates. Beginning photographers with highest quality equipment encouraged." How are we supposed to send rates if we don't know what we are shooting, where the photos will be used or any other details? I do contact these listings and inquire about the details of the shoot, but I never receive a reply. Most likely because somebody else proposed something so insanely low they couldn't pass it up and apparently if you have a great dSLR that automatically means you can take great photos.
Now, I know the photography industry in Chile just recently beginning to develop and it's not yet widely accepted as something that deserves decent pay rates. I try to understand this as a cultural difference but sometimes it can be a little frustrating. Just like anybody looking for a job anywhere knows. I am also aware this isn't NY and I can't expect similar rates, but when companies set out with the lowest standards possible I don't even stand a chance. Not because I'm that good, just because I have self respect and know the work I produce has value. What all of these ads tell me is that there are a lot of companies out there that either don't understand what good photography is and can do for the product they just put so much capital into, or they just have no value for their product. But then again, the best opportunities aren't found in ads online anyway. All this means is that a whole lot more effort needs to be put in to find clients who do value a photographers abilities.
There aren't too many interesting photos I can post relating to job searching, so as a breath of fresh air I will post a couple beach photos instead.
Iquique
Juan Lopez
Friday, June 15, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Photo(s) of the Day
I'm in heavy work mode trying to edit photos from 19 different apartments before Camila comes on Thursday. But I need to balance some work editing with some for my own personal interest to help keep sanity. The drive from LA to SF on the 5 is usually quite boring, but every once in a while the weather is pretty unique and offers some fun photo opportunities. The five hour drive really flies by when you are shooting photos out the window for most of the trip.
I have been on three cross country road trips in the last year including this last one with 13,000+ miles in five months. Each trip I have done alone and to keep myself occupied I have always shot photos out the window as I go along.
Cruise control set at 80mph, one hand firmly on the wheel, shutter speed as fast as can be, a steady hand and luck produced thousands of images (many sloppy and blurry). When I first started shooting out the window I rarely produced a decent image. It can be tricky capturing a sharp and well framed image speeding along at 80mph. Yet 25,000 miles of practice has made me able to time everything right and capture level, well framed images. From the beginning I've always wanted to create a portfolio of these images titled "Shot at 80" or something similar. So here are a few images to get me going in the right direction:
Photos from San Diego and LA up soon.
I have been on three cross country road trips in the last year including this last one with 13,000+ miles in five months. Each trip I have done alone and to keep myself occupied I have always shot photos out the window as I go along.
Cruise control set at 80mph, one hand firmly on the wheel, shutter speed as fast as can be, a steady hand and luck produced thousands of images (many sloppy and blurry). When I first started shooting out the window I rarely produced a decent image. It can be tricky capturing a sharp and well framed image speeding along at 80mph. Yet 25,000 miles of practice has made me able to time everything right and capture level, well framed images. From the beginning I've always wanted to create a portfolio of these images titled "Shot at 80" or something similar. So here are a few images to get me going in the right direction:
Photos from San Diego and LA up soon.
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