Fall is back and in full effect! The leaves are starting to fall, but not fast enough. I know that I will be out with my Canon once the trees start shedding heavier. The photo above is from last year around this same time. I used a Zoom lens to focus on a man walking down the street and it just looks so lonely out there. I had to capture this! I had been outside for almost 3 hours just taking flick after flick and this, by far, is my favorite.

Now, this photo was edited when it was shot last year. But, now that I am using Adobe Lightroom 3, I was able to take that same photo and really give it the detail I wanted it to have. Man, I cannot wait until I get back out there this fall...

Yes, I'm talking to you...

My lady was playing around taking pics of me and when I posed for this one, I knew what I was doing when I pointed towards the lens. I was pointing to all of you out there that either don't take photos or to those that run from the camera. I am talking to all of you who do not capture special moments in time.

I had a conversation with a good friend of mine the other day that just purchased his first camera. At first, I thought he purchased the camera to really get into doing photography. But, he explained to me that while being on Facebook, he finds himself looking at others displaying pics of their good times with friends and family and capturing stories that no amount of words can explain. He realized that he hardly had any photos of himself and said that he didn't want to die without anyone having any recollection of who he was or what he's done in his life. He also didn't want a Junior High School photo on his program for his funeral.

So, my friend now has a really good camera that he seriously plans on using to capture all those special moments in life with his friends and family as well as all his newlywed adventures with his cool wife. So again, I am talking to everyone that claims they don't need pictures of themselves or feel they don't come out great in photos. Candid photos will always show a side of you that you don't often see or probably will never see. Reason: you can't look directly at yourself when you're laughing, crying, partying, jumping around, dancing or just plain and simple - enjoying life! You WILL miss those moments and to me, its not worth it. When I'm old and gray, I would like to look back on my life and see the friends I've gained and lost, the love and hate I've felt and hopefully strengthen my memory in the process.

My question to you is: Why wouldn't you want to do the same?

Vacation 2010

August 2010 - I went on a vacation to Miami, and from there, a cruise onboard the Carnival Destiny which made stops in Grand turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. I must say I had a hell of a time. I was like a kid in a candy store. Everything I looked at, I was so amazed due to the fact that this was my first time off of US soil.

During my travels, i was strapped with 3 cameras: a Nikon CoolPix S4000 to capture regular pics, a Kodak Play Sport (underwater/waterproof) to capture video in 1080p HD as well as some in-the-moment pics, and my Canon XSi to get some vivid and memorable shots. All 3 cameras were used during the entire trip.

What I would do differently is take more advantage of the photo opportunities. There were so many great things going on and beautiful sights around me that I got caught up in the viewing instead of the capturing. But, I did snap a plethora of photos that I am extremely pleased with. Below are just a select few of the hundreds of photos I actually took. Enjoy!

Soooo... I was the photographer for the marriage of Nicole and Ricardo Fareau. Let me start by saying the ceremony was very nice and the day after, they held their reception at Nicole's sisters' house. The only down side about both days was the hot ass weather! It was about 94 degrees both days! And running around with a big camera and equipment is not easy in all that heat.

The newlyweds are very happy with the photos that were taken. In total, over 700 shots were taken. But 240 were selected during the review session. The cake in the photos was created by Kellz Cakez (www.kellzcakez.com). Congratulations to you Nicole and Ricky. Hopefully, these photos will give you a lifetime of memories. Enjoy!

Joan Wu - Meat Packing District 7/11/10

Woke up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning for a 8:30am shoot with Joan Wu. I had been so busy with doing nothing that I never got around to doing Joan's shoot. the photos came out amazing. The picture posted is just one of the many pics that I had taken. Once I get my hands on Adobe Lightroom for a Mac, I will be editing the hell out of Joan's photos! She was a bit shy at first. Joan eventually warmed up and started coming up with suggestions of her own for photos. It was a very fun shoot that started on 14th st & 9th Ave and ended in High Line Park (which, by the way, is an amazing park).


She was very pleased at how the photos came out and couldn't believe she was actually viewing pictures of herself. Whatcha think?

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival - 7/10/10

The Hip Hop festival was live! Some of the performing artists include: Dilated Peoples, Fashawn, Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, Curren$y, Skyzoo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, J Period, and a few others. This year, the festival was held in DUMBO, Brooklyn. I was out there on business, but I'd be a bit retarded not to bring my Canon out there and grab a few flicks. Of course, i captured the Bk Bridge, which is right where the festivities were being held. I met a few people and made a lot of contacts. All in all, I had a great time and this pic of the bridge captures the essence of he festival - Peaceful, well put together, and one of a kind.

I own a Mac... Finally!

It's about time!!! On May 29th, 2010, I became the proud owner of a MacBook Pro with the i5 processor! I'd been telling myself for years that I'd buy a MB, but I never got around to it. When the MB's came out in Black, I was extremely close to getting one, but things fell through and... you know... I can honestly say, the wait was well worth it. The MB comes with a hefty price tag, but you get what you pay for. This machine was well worth it! I have yet to find something I dislike about it.

With the speed, quality, ease of use, efficiency, and awesome battery life, I am sure that I'll eventually fall in love with it. I've loaded it with Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended and will be getting Adobe Lightroom in the near future. It's safe to say that I promote this product for anyone looking for something that's easy to use and is not prone to the many viruses that Windows products carry. This will definitely make my journey towards professional photography a lot less strenuous. Don't worry, the editing of photos will be much better. Stay tuned...