Lake in the Hills, Illinois
As a true blue (red??) Chicagoan this next sentence is very hard to type. I love New York. Ok, there, that is out of the way. Now I can breathe again. I’ve had these feelings about NYC before, there is something in the air in that city, something that is exciting. I really love visiting New York. Would I leave Chicago? Not a chance, I need the hot dogs and proper pizza that we have.
Did I mention that New York is a street photographers paradise? It is!
One of the greatest skills for a street photographer is the ability to anticipate. Picking out a stage, knowing who the players are and how the scene will unfold is crucial to capturing exactly what you envisioned.
For this photo in the old part of San Juan I noticed the girl walking from the right as well as the person walking towards the darkened hallway. I set the stage and anticipated when both players would be in the location I wanted to capture. (You can click on the image to see a larger version) read more
“Alone on a Bridge”
Sometimes I feel alone.
I am a Puerto Rican born in Chicago, I am a Chicagoan living in the suburbs, I am a hispanic living amongst anglos.
Where do belong?
Art is a look inside the heart and soul of the artist. Sometimes I feel alone.
“Alone on a Bridge” was shown at the May 4th Fridays at the Starline Gallery in Harvard.
The black wooden framed metal print totalling 23″x19″ is available for purchase for $250. Viewing in person is highly recommended, a monitor can not come close to showing the dynamic range nor reflective surfaces.
Contact me if you are interested in this or any of my other work. read more
Teaching others the art of photography is simply one of the most enjoyable things I get a chance to do. Leading classes, workshops, conference presentations or one on one with my daughters; every time that I have taught my creativity is re-energized. I get inspired by students to shoot more, push my abilities and improve my craft.
Thanks to those who have taught me, and for those that I have had to pleasure of teaching!
Contrary to what most blogs and articles are saying I feel the future of photography looks bright and I’m glad to help make that happen. read more
Don’t leave your camera at home. Your camera should be an extension of your eyes, like a pair of glasses. Without it you should feel like you are missing a part of yourself. I know it is a pain to luge a DSLR with you every where you go, but why not a point and shoot, a film camera or at the least your cell phone. You never know when the opportunity to capture an exciting image will occur. I do my best to always have at the least my Canon G10 or a 35mm film camera with me. As an example of why, the photo above was taken at the Lake in the Hills Summer Sunset Fest. A few miles from my home, I went with the girls and grabbed my Canon on the way out the door. The sky was unique and resulted in a few photos that I love. So… read more
I love old San Juan Puerto Rico. The diverse cultural influences on the oldest city in the United States really makes this city a photographer’s paradise. Ever corner you turn, or small cobblestone street you go down provides you with tons of photo opportunities. I can’t wait to head back this summer if I can and hope to share a lot more photos.
Most photographers get into photography because they are passionate about it. What drives this passion? Fun. It is important for me to have fun when out shooting. This past summer my daughter and I attended the Waukegan Air Show and had lots of fun taking photos of the airplanes. I was able to use the high speed motor drive of my Canon 7D to really take some exciting aviation photos. This being one of my favorites. This photo is all about having fun and capturing exciting moments. I can’t wait until the show next year. read more
I love classic and vintage things. There is something about the way they are built and designed that will never be replicated. I collect and use vintage cameras, have owned vintage motorcycles and cars and drive a ’73 BMW 2002 almost daily in the summer time. One of the vintage events I regularly attend an event called Coffee and Classics, this is a casual gathering of mostly vintage european cars. This past summer I took my father out with me to one of the events. It was great spending time with him along with checking out some great rides. It was also my first time out with my Canon 7D. read more
Occasionally you are out shooting an image just hits you. On this day I headed to a road I take to work everyday. To the right of this road a small lake had dried out and between the clouds in the sky and the dried lake, it would be an impressive scene. After shooting photos of the lake, I began to walk back to my car. At one point I turned over my shoulder and noticed how dramatic a completely empty road (in itself an odd thing in Chicagoland) looked. Making sure there was no traffic, I shot out to the middle of the street and captured this. Not something you would expect to see near Chicago, this image reminds me of how interesting the day to day we travel is. read more
