Poor Lighting

I'm not really one for selfies (except for the occasional Snapchat that I sent to a select few), nor do I take pictures of myself while on vacation like, "Oh, here I am in front of this building." And, instead of taking pictures of the famous sites, sometimes I just find what I think is pretty and snap that. This definitely was the case on my trip to England (very spur-of-the-moment trip), and you probably couldn't tell where I was from the pictures I took. This time around, there a lot of "screensaver" worthy shots. All unfiltered.

Took a much needed week-long vacation to Oahu. I didn't take as many photos as I had wanted. Actually, I only took 3 good ones. Instead, I shot daily vlogs. Enjoy!

This blog certainly has been neglected, hasn't it? Let's change that (hopefully, I'll actually stick with it this time). I recently joined  Hit Record  and by "recently" I mean "this morning." It's a community-sourced production company that's kind of the brain child of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Yes,  that Joseph Gordon-Levitt . Hit Record encourages artists of all types - photographers, writers, actors, animators, etc. - to just be creative and collaborate. You don't have to be a professional, just passionate. You don't even have to be that passionate. Just mess around with whatever art form moves you, and upload it to the site. Or just explore. No pressure. Well, I browsed around and checked out what they call "Creative Challenges," which are essentially prompts for scripts, poems, pictures, whatever. And, I just started uploading some old photos from my computer based on the prompt. I have to say (not to toot my own horn, but...

I know, I know -- It's been a while. I put this blog on the back burner more often than I'd like, and the excuses go on and on. I'm too tired, I'm not motivated, I just don't feel like it. Plus, I don't want the posts to be forced in a way that I'll eventually churn out meaningless post after meaningless post. But, maybe that's what I need to start doing? Sometimes I wonder if there's anyone even reading this and if this is something I should continue to pursue. Then I get the nice surprise when I check in on the stats page and see that there's over 2000 page views. I know it's not a lot, only a couple hundred per post, but it's significant to me. And it's so cool to see where the readers are coming from. Mostly U.S., but I see some from Russia, the U.K., France, and Singapore. And that's awesome. [[ Where am I going with this? ]] I don't have any photos to show in this post, unfortunately, because in my absence, I h...

This time of year, I find myself watching commencement speeches from various universities around the country. They invite historical figures, political leaders, and industry trailblazers to inspire, to challenge, to give hope to the graduating class. The speeches are filled with words of wisdom, and they're also filled with metaphors that are a bit out of a reach, or worse, a cliché. "You're a ship embarking on its maiden voyage," "Be true to yourself," "Follow your passion/heart/dreams/fear." But, I guess they're clichés for a reason. As corny, overused, and unoriginal as they sound, these phrases tend to have a big impact on those who are standing at the precipice. They instill a sense of grandeur that is supposed to empower you to make more out of your life, become more. It's as if these commencement speakers are handing over the reigns to this country's future, for you to do with it what you will. In essence, they are. They c...

I had started this blog with the intention of learning about photography. It had always been an interest of mine and I thought blogging about it would help me stay honest with this new hobby. Plus it was a great way to track my progress. At first, my voice was that of a novice (which I am), taking slow, wary steps into the world of photography, seeing it through a fresh lens (pardon the pun), hoping to glean some sort of insight from it all and perhaps -- in some miraculous way -- change my life. It's still the case, but ever since my dad passed four months ago, I've put the blog and photography on the back burner. I had zero desire to continue. How could I when my family needs me? Family, and work -- Those were my two main points of focus. Even now I feel guilty thinking about my passions. How could I even begin to imagine my future when my present is still crumbling? But in my attempt to "be there" for my family, I've lost sight of my path, and I don't k...

First off -- to the handful of you who actually read this blog -- my apologies for the temporary hiatus. Some personal family-related problems have stolen my attention these past few months. But, I'm back now, and I'd like to take things back to February when we in New York were in the height of the Winter snowstorm. It was quite possibly the longest winter I have ever had to endure. For most, it was a nuisance - having to shovel and salt the sidewalks, only to do it all over again in a few hours. For me, it was a nightmare... to shoot. So. Much. White. But, when you look past all the hardships and obstacles, you can find something so pure and simple in the world around you. "In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more than reality." - Alfred Stieglitz

For my 25th birthday back in November, Nick got me a new lens - Nikon Nikor AF 28mm. I hadn't really tried it out yet so I brought it to work with me the other day, determined to put it to use. Granted, it was nearly 7pm and 20 degrees outside (and I didn't have gloves, smh) when I finally got the chance to shoot anything, It was so cold that the lens fogged up! Since I'm so used to shooting on the 50mm (and because it's the only lens I've ever really worked with), it did take a bit of adjusting with the 28mm with the wider frame. It was quite nice having all that extra space to work with -- so much room for activities! -- and Rockefeller Plaza seemed like the perfect location. I quickly found, for me anyway, I had to really make sure that there was a focal point in each photo since these aren't the portrait-type pictures I'd been taking with the 50mm. Here goes... Comments and feedback are always welcome!

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to preview the New Year's Eve ball the weekend before the big New Year's show, hosted by the Times Square Alliance and Waterford Crystal. There was champagne and cookies, hot chocolate and an ice cream sundae bar. Of course, I had to bring my camera. Let me set the scene... It's 4:30pm at the top of One Times Square. The sun is about to set. There's a giant 12,000-lb. crystal ball, illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeum Rebel LEDs. I have roughly 20 minutes to take pictures. Inevitably, this happened: And this: And this (which actually looks pretty cool): I adjusted the white balance, changed the ISO, checked the aperture, and anything and everything else. 5-10 minutes later, I finally captured this (I didn't even care that it was blurry): And then... It's not perfect, but what a sense of accomplishment! Happy New Year, all! Here's to 2015!

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Hoping to post a new blog every Wednesday. #2015goals

Loooong overdue. New York Comic Con. Where else would one find a more eclectic bunch? A group of people who are so passionate about their hobbies/obsessions that they proudly where it on their backs, literally. Seriously nerding out in the best way and not afraid of what people think of them. Where else can you find folks in cosplay, outside in a dance circle, shaking it to the "Cupid Shuffle"? And where else can you find people who are not afraid to admit that they're 25 and still love these little guys? For me, the most difficult part about shooting at Comic Con was adjusting to the lighting. Initially, a lot of my shots came out blue, so I spent a lot of time playing with the white balance until I was finally happy with the result.  And, the second most difficult part was that there was just SO MUCH going on, which is my usual problem. My eyes were overly-stimulated, I guess. I just wanted to capture everything, but in my mind, I...

There's a reason why they call New York City the "concrete jungle where dreams are made of." Everywhere you turn, there's excitement, inspiration, spirit. There's nothing like taking a stroll around this island to show you just how full of LIFE this city is. Exhibit 1: A few weekends ago, Nick and I went in search of the 10.Deep sample sale. For those who don't know, 10.Deep is an urban street-ware company that was established in 1995. It isn't exactly my style, but Nick is all about it. So, we crossed the Hudson on my new favorite mode of transportation - NYC Waterways Ferry - to TriBeCa. We'd actually found ourselves in the middle/tail end of a 5k race, benefitting 9/11 volunteers, celebrations with BBQs, runners, camaraderie, and pride. A little hidden gem on the southern tip of Manhattan that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. There was a nice mix of barbecue smoke and sunlight that made for some cool shots. At least I thought so, but...

Is it just me... or do you feel like when you start getting into a new hobby, that hobby is the only thing you can think about? Even as I sit at work, trying to put a TV show together, I can't help but wish I could be outside (or inside, or wherever) with my camera, practicing (because lord knows I need the practice). my camera, which I'd mentioned in my first post, is loaded to me by Nick, my boyfriend, given to him by his father. I don't bring it home. It stays at Nick's apartment, on his desk. I can see it now. I really don't pick it up until the weekend, and when I do... I can't let it go. Maybe the fact that I don't see it every day causes me to miss it more. (I still call it, "it," haven't quite given camera a name yet.) Is that weird? Photography has reinvigorated a part of my life that I haven't explored in a while, one that I didn't realize was pushed so far back in my mind. Actually making something from scratch, taking ...

Aperture. It's a hole that lets the light in and out of the "image plane," as Wikipedia calls it. F-stop. The number scale on your camera, which from what I understand can range from 0.5 to as high as 256. The smaller the number, the wider the aperture, and the bigger the number, the narrower the aperture. For those who have been in photography for a while, it might seem like a very simple concept, but for someone who's just starting out, it can be confusing (read: annoying). It's also something that I've been struggling to grasp. So, this weekend, I set out to wrap my arms around it. The San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy was perhaps the perfect place for a lesson in proper exposure. Bright, white banners... dark, black tent interiors... Ideal for pictures to turn out like this: And this (okay, this wasn't taken at San Gennaro, but it's the only overexposed picture of the bunch): Yikes. Time to change the mode from automatic to ma...

Please remind me, I did say that the lens I started off using weighs about five pounds, right? Right. As someone with fairly weak and narrow wrists, having to carry that thing around all day, plus the camera, was cumbersome and almost enough to deter me from taking photos. Almost.  Even though I was told by the "pros" out there that it's an overall great lens (whatever that means), they still agreed that it's a bit heavy for everyday use. So... (as the title of this post reads) Say Hello to My Little Lens: A Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, aka my very first camera/photography-related purchase. Total $236.20 from B&H. To be honest, I had second thoughts about making such a big purchase right off the bat, especially since I'm just starting out. But if I'm really trying to get into this hobby, and I mean really  get into it, I'm in for the long haul. This is probably just the beginning. Who knew camera equipment would be so expensive?? I m...