the corner of my lens

the crosses. may 24, twenty twelve.

This blog is about three weeks overdue, but here it goes…

Many of you have already figured this out, others may have not, and I am sure some just don’t care….I have moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Yup, took a big jump and left South Texas at the beginning of the month (May); I’m not talking about South Texas as in San Antonio/Hill Country, I’m talking about South Texas about 20-30 mins away from the Mexican border. While I enjoyed a few things in Harlingen, TX, there really wasn’t much happening for me. I spent the better part of my two years there job searching and doing freelance photography (mainly medical) and volunteering in a handful of areas; I also became a registered pharmacy technician. I tried to get a job down there, but there was one major problem: I am white and do not speak spanish. You may be asking why I moved there in the first place in the first place?….Simple answer: to spend time with my dad since my mom had recently passed away and to “figure out the next stage in life.”

As I said, there really wasn’t much for me in South Texas….I was picking up work as a freelance photographer, but most of that was medical or out near Santa Fe, NM; I had some product photography work I did at my home studio as well. I was ready to leave.

Yes, I had made a few friends and other contacts there, but I still couldn’t get much going because of language issues; basically I was a minority there. Then came the camera club….that’s where I met Rocio Velasquez; things immediately changed – I won’t go in too much detail, that’s for another blog, but I’ll just leave it at we are dating (boyfriend/girlfriend, lovers, an item…or whatever the kids are calling it these days) and very committed to each other. SHE …was the one reason I truly wanted to stay. I knew it would be hard, but I still had to leave.

My father had been working here in Las Cruces since September in a “fill-in/temporary” type situation. In January they talked to him about coming on permanently…in March he agreed. It took a few months to get everything arranged but they finally got him moved out at the beginning of this month. Since I didn’t have much going for me, he said I was welcome to come out and “see what’s next for me….” At the time, it was hard to leave Rocio, but I figured it was the best option for me – at least for the moment.

So here I am…in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

I am still in the process of “settling in” – more emotionally at this point, and I’ve only done a bit of exploring. However, things are passing and I am ready to explore and see what this place has to offer….

More to come on this later, but for now here are a couple of photos I’ve taken while here:

I’ve gotta say, even though I haven’t gotten out much and really miss Rocio…I am liking it here so far; and it’s nice to be with my dad again.

Photos taken with iPhone 4s and Canon 5DMK2 using a variety of lenses.

2012: 05/24
CATEGORY: photography and such
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(No) Lions, and (No) Tigers), and (No) Bears…Oh, Boo. April 1, twenty twelve.

Well, there were lions and tigers, but they were asleep or hiding from the heat.

A couple of weeks ago, members of the Rio Photo Club made a trip to the Gladys Porter Zoo. It was a nice little outing; I was still getting over some kind of illness so I wasn’t feeling to hot, but I still had a good time. Because we are getting “summer-like weather” here in Brownsville with temperatures hitting the mid to upper 90s by as early as 10, many of the animals are hiding from the heat and/or sleeping in whatever shade they can find. The average “zoo visitor” is usually fine with this because the animals are still there and visible – they just aren’t doing much; however, as a photographer, I am looking for sometime more “exciting” – if the animals are just sleeping (or in some cases not even visible) then there isn’t much worth photographing.

I’ve come to realize that this just isn’t the best time to visit the zoo; heck, maybe Brownsville, TX, isn’t the best place for many of the animals they have in the Gladys Porter Zoo – the extreme heat and humidity isn’t too enjoyable for most.

Regardless, I do enjoy visiting the zoo and taking pictures when I can. I think in the future I just need to have lower expectations….

Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

Then I found this little crazy-ass looking spider, so I took a few shots of him….

Images shot with Canon 5DMK2, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS and Canon 24-205 4L IS lenses.

Edited with Adobe Lightroom 3.6 and Silver Efex Pro 2.

2012: 04/02
CATEGORY: photography and such
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february photo-a-day challenge. the update II, days 20-29. march 1, twenty twelve

Well, the February photo-a-day challenge has ended. 29 days, yes 2012 is a leap year, of taking a picture a day with my iPhone. I am happy I participated; however, I felt I could have put more thought into some of the photos. I ran across another couple of “photo-a-day” challenges for March, but I think I’ll spend this month working on my skills, shoot more, and get back into film…and of course post the results. April may be a good month for another photo-a-day challenge, hopefully things will have settled down and I will have new areas to explore….

Here are the rest of the photos from my February photo-a-day challenge, days 20-29.

Day 20 – handwriting:

Day 21 – a fave photo of you:

Day 22 – where you work:

Day 23 – your shoes:

Day 24 – inside your bathroom closet:

Day 25 – green:

Day 26 – night:

Day 27 – something you ate:

Day 28 – money:

Day 29 – something you’re listening to:

All images shot with iPhone 4s using instagram and camera+ apps.

2012: 03/01
CATEGORY: February Photo-A-Day Challenge
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february photo-a-day challenge. the update, days 5-19. february 19, twenty twelve

For those following me on twitter or facebook you probably know that I am participating in a photo-a-day challenge for the month of February; actually, if you are reading my blog you probably know that as well.

Yes, I am still doing the challenge and still shooting a picture (based on the topic, see the entire list here or check my Day 1 post). However, because this is all about sharing your photos – twitter, facebook, instagram, and/or other social media outlets (of your choice; I am sticking with instagram, twitter, and occasionally facebook) – I am only shooting with my iPhone 4s. I am doing this for 2 reasons: 1) it is much easier to share photos taken with a device constantly connected to the internet, 2) I am testing the camera in the 4s…and thus challenging myself in a way.

Because I have been using the iPhone, I have not been posting each day on my blog…instead I am posting several days at once. So, here are Days 5-19; make sure to check out Days 1-4 which are already posted on the blog. Enjoy.

Day 5 – 10AM:

Day 6 – dinner:

Day 7 – button:

Day 8 – sun:

Day 9 – front door:

Day 10 – self portrait:

Day 11 – makes you happy:

Day 12 – inside your closet:

Day 13 – blue:

Day 14 – heart:

Day 15 – phone:

Day 16 – something new:

Day 17 – time:

Day 18 – drink:

Day 19 – something you hate to do:

All images shot with iPhone 4s using instagram and camera+ apps.

2012: 02/19
CATEGORY: February Photo-A-Day Challenge
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february photo-a-day challenge. day 4 – stranger. february 4, twenty twelve.

Today I went to check out an auto show at the Advanced Auto Parts store in San Benito, TX. There were a lot of pretty sweet cars there….some classics, some “fixer-uppers,” and some trucks.

“Stranger” was the topic for today, so I thought the auto show would a perfect place; I asked a guy to stand next to his car, took a few shots with my camera and then took one with my iPhone. Today’s february photo-a-day shot for day 4: Stranger -

Shot with iPhone 4s using the Instagram app.

I’ll post more photos from the show tomorrow.

2012: 02/04
CATEGORY: February Photo-A-Day Challenge
photography and such
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february photo-a-day challenge. day 3 – hands. february 3, twenty twelve.

I was really excited about my original idea for this shot. There is a small wood-working shop in “Historical” Downtown Harlingen; my idea was to get a closeup – a tight closeup – of the woodworker’s hand working on a piece. After a bit of thrifting (“shopping at thrift stores” for you non-hipsters), I went to get my shot, however….we were told the woodworker had gone and would return later. My girlfriend and I continued our shopping, with intent to return. Then, while visiting a clothing store, we met Richard Hess. Richard, who claims he is a young 53 year-old-man, is the father of the shop’s owner. He is a local musician, he even did a little song and dance for us, and an artist. As he was putting the finishing touches on a drawing, I noticed his hands….I knew I had my shot. This is my favorite and my shot for the day – “Hands” -

Now, because I want to you picture Richard Hess – who recently turned 80 – singing and dancing, here is a better shot of him…working on his art:

Today was truly a good day.

Images shot with Canon 5DMK2 and Canon 35 1.4L lens.

Edited with Adobe Lightroom 3.6 and Silver Efex Pro 2.

2012: 02/03
CATEGORY: February Photo-A-Day Challenge
photography and such
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february photo-a-day challenge. day 2 – words. february 2, twenty twelve.

Well, here we are at Day 2 of the February Photo-A-Day Challenge. Today is “Words.” Had about several ideas for this one – shot a few; some basic, some a little more “creative.” However, after going through some shots I did with my Blackbird, Fly toy camera during my last photo walk at Port Isabel, I found one I really wanted to share for “Words” -

I found this inside a local ice cream shop in town (Port Isabel, TX, that is) just before hitting the Queen Isabella Causeway. It reminded me of the ice cream shop in Lubbock that I took many pictures at.

Shot with Blackbird, Fly Toy Camera using Lomography 35mm Color Negative film, IOS 800.

Scanned and edited with Adobe Lightroom 3.6.

2012: 02/02
CATEGORY: February Photo-A-Day Challenge
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february photo-a-day challenge. day 1 – your view today. february 1, twenty twelve.

I was stumbling through Instagram earlier today and came across a post mentioning a “Photo-A-Day” challenge for the month of February. The basic idea is to take a picture – there is a topic/idea/inspiration list – and then post to Instagram and/or Twitter (or any other choice of social media outlet) and use the hashtag(#) “#FEBphotoaday” (Yes genius reader, without the quotes). Here is the “inspirational” list -

Day 1 is “Your View Today.” My girlfriend came over for a bit and we watched a movie and had lunch; once she left, I went back to editing. I didn’t see the challenge until after she left, so I took a picture of my setup: one watching TWiT Photo and the other running Lightroom 3.6. Here is the photo -

Shot with iPhone 4s using the Instagram app.

2012: 02/01
CATEGORY: February Photo-A-Day Challenge
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rio photo club outing at SPI and PI. january 24, twenty twelve.

Out of all my resolutions, taking (more) photos & blogging (more) are about the only ones I’ve kept up with…

This past weekend, the Rio Photo Club (which I am a member of) went out to Port Isabel and South Padre Island to have a little “photo walk” of sorts; it was nice getting together outside of our normal meetings. We started walking around Port Isabel, visiting some of the local shops, then made out way over the Queen Isabella Causeway (the bridge that leads to South Padre Island) and took a few shots out at the island.

It was a good time had by all, and I am pretty happy with some of the shots I got…

Here are some of my favorites:

Images shot with Canon 5DMK2, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS and Canon 24-205 4L IS lenses.

Edited with Adobe Lightroom 2.7 and Silver Efex Pro 2.

I also shot a roll of film using my Blackbird, Fly Toy Camera, hopefully I’ll have time to get that developed tomorrow.

2012: 01/24
CATEGORY: photography and such
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photos from the weekend. january 18, twenty 12.

I’ve been trying to shoot more this year. I can’t say I’m off to a good start, but I’m working on it. Lots going on outside of photography, that will change soon and things on the blog SHOULD pick up. Fingers crossed.

In an attempt to get inspired, I jumped in the car and drove around town looking for things to shoot. It brought me back to the “good ol’ days” in Lubbock when I would get together and drive around with friends, exploring random areas around town.

I also ended up going to South Padre Island with the girlfriend on Sunday.

Not much more to write. It was fun getting out again and snapping some things. Here are some of my favorites: